ارائه چارچوبی برای ارتقاء رؤیت‌پذیری بروندادهای علمی ایران در مسیر دستیابی به مرجعیت علمی

Purpose: The main goal of this research is to provide a comprehensive framework for improving the visibility of Iran's scientific outputs in order to achieve scientific authority. Scientific visibility is one of the key dimensions of assessing the science system, reflecting the degree of recognition, dissemination, and reference to the knowledge produced in the global scientific community. This index not only determines the level of scientific impact of a country but also indicates its capacity to participate in the production and exchange of global knowledge and innovation. Despite the significant quantitative growth of Iran’s scientific production in the last two decades, its visibility and qualitative impact remain below its potential capacity, which reflects the gap between scientific production and international impact. This study attempts to identify multidimensional factors affecting scientific visibility and provide an executive and policy-oriented framework to provide solutions to enhance the status and impact of Iranian science in the global knowledge system. Thus, the study offers clearer insight into how Iran can strategically strengthen the global presence, recognition, and influence of its scientific outputs within an increasingly competitive international knowledge landscape.
Methodology: This research was conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach and using a mixed method to have both conceptual strength and empirical validity. In the first stage, a narrative review and systematic search in the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were conducted to identify key studies related to factors affecting scientific visibility. After careful screening, 203 relevant articles were selected from 1,436 retrieved records for in-depth analysis. The extracted indicators were classified at three levels: individual, organizational, and supra-organizational, and an initial conceptual framework was developed based on them. Of course, some indicators were common at different levels. Then, this framework was revised and enriched using thematic coding. In the second stage, the proposed framework was validated through a survey of 20 experts in the fields of science and technology policymaking, research evaluation, and scientific visibility. Data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. The content validity of the instrument was confirmed by experts, and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential analyses, including Cohen's d effect size. The combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis strengthened the validity and applicability of the proposed framework.
Findings: The findings showed that scientific visibility is a multi-level phenomenon that is affected by the interaction of factors at the individual, organizational, and supra-organizational levels. Accordingly, five main levels were identified in order of influence: organizational, individual-organizational, organizational-supra-organizational, individual, and supra-organizational.
At the organizational level, factors such as open access to scientific resources, digital repositories, and publication in open access gold journals had the greatest impact. At the individual-organizational level, activity in scientific networks, international collaborations, and participation in scientific conferences were recognized as the most important influencing factors. At the organizational-supra-organizational level, media attention, communication infrastructure, and research funding played the most important role. At the individual level, indicators such as the quality of metadata and abstracts, the language of publication (English), and the scientific background of the authors were more important. Finally, at the supra-organizational level, factors such as scientific culture, government policies, and national strategies for research and science played a role.
Conclusion: The research results show that improving scientific visibility requires a policy paradigm shift from a quantitative approach to an effective, interactive, and open science-based scientific governance. Achieving scientific authority is not possible solely through the production of science but requires accessibility, recognition, and real impact in international scientific networks. The proposed research framework suggests four key policy directions:
1. Reforming the evaluation and reward system by focusing on impact and visibility rather than the mere quantity of production;
2. Developing national data infrastructures and institutional repositories to expand open science and data sharing;
3. Institutionalizing a culture of open science and scientific collaboration in universities and research institutions through supportive policies and incentive systems; and
4. Empowering researchers through scientific writing training, improving English language skills, and managing research digital identities in systems such as ORCID, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar.
The proposed framework provides a roadmap for policymakers and scientific institutions to enhance the status, reputation, and global impact of national research. Scientific visibility, in this sense, is not simply about being “seen,” but rather a strategic tool for knowledge equity, scientific impact, and achieving scientific authority in the international science, technology, and innovation system.