TEHRAN – According to the latest Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) data, Iran, with a total of 1,003 indexed journals, is one of the top five countries among 138 countries publishing the most open-access journals.

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The country’s progress over the past decade has been noticeable, rising from 95 indexed journals in 2015 to 506 in 2022. The trend continued to grow, reaching 931 in 2024 and 1003 in 2025, msrt.ir reported.

Out of 1,003 indexed journals, 584 and 480 journals are in Persian and English, respectively. Six journals are in Arabic, two in French, and two others are in Russian language. There is a journal in the Avestan language, and one in the Kurdish language. Overall, Iran, with 591 Persian journals, ranked ninth among 80 other languages.

According to the DOAJ data, Indonesia, with 2511 indexed journals, is placed first, followed by the United Kingdom (2202), Brazil (1533), and the United States (1248).

Iran articles among the tops worldwide

China, the U.S., and India, with 86,924, 14,473, and 11,194 articles, respectively, are the top three countries. Iran is atop England (4,360), Japan (4,022), and Spain (3,830) in the ranking, ISNA reported. The Q1 journal index is used to categorize scientific journals based on their impact; it is most commonly used in databases like Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) and Journal Citation Reports (JCR).

Q1 journal ranking is based on Impact factors, SJR, H-index, and the number of citations, ISNA reported.

Introduced by physicist Jorge Hirsch, the h-index is an important metric for measuring the scientific impact of a researcher, journal, or university. It was introduced by physicist Jorge Hirsch. It measures the number of scientific publications (many articles), scientific impact (high number of citations), and a combination of quantity and quality of research.

Although from 2011 on, the country has undergone a downward trend in patenting nanotechnology, it is placed among the top 30 countries in patenting nanotechnology, ranking 27th in 2024.

It is worth noting that the percentage of granted patents increased from 19 percent in 2023 to 25 percent in 2024. Similarly, the number of published and granted patents slightly rose from 17 percent in 2023 to 19 percent in 2024.

By the end of 2024, Iran had published 364 nanotechnology-related patents in the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). 25 percent of Iran’s USPTO-registered patents fall within the nanotechnology sector.

MT/ MG