Ministry of  Science, Research and Technology

Regional Information Center for Science & Technology

 

Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC)

Seminar organized by:

· The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco

· The Regional Information Center for Science and Technology, Shiraz, the Islamic Republic of Iran

Sponsors:

Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Office of Vice- President for Science and Technology, Islamic Republic of Iran.

The General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), Islamabad, Pakistan

University of Tehran

 

1. Introduction

Determining the value of research performance is considered as an essential issue from scientist’s and user’s point of view. There are several quantitative and accurate assessments which make assessing research performance possible. While researchers and scientists easily identify the scientific resources of their fields, identification of highly cited works and core journals is carried out by national bibliometric institutes through bibliometric and scientometric research. Among national institutes which evaluates and ranks research performance internationally are the Institute for Scientific Information and Scopus. These institutes have organized their activities based on bibliometric principles and evaluate research performance world wide.

In Islamic world, evaluating and ranking research performance, have not been considered by national bibliometric institutes and principally this issue has not attracted the attention of the universities and research centers of Islamic countries.

In 2004, a meeting consisting of the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and the chancellors of universities and presidents of research centers was held in Tehran. In this meeting the Supreme Leader of IRI emphasized on the creation of a citation system in Islamic countries and suggested an independent scientific information system for the ummah as a whole.

 

2. Background

Regional Information Center for Science and Technology (RICeST) established in Shiraz, Iran, is the only organization among Islamic countries which has concentrated on assessing research performance and has started its work since 2001.

Although citation analysis of research performance in RICeST seemed a difficult task at the beginning, researchers’ wise viewpoint and their firm belief in fulfilling this national project made the work be accomplished successfully. In this way Islamic Republic of Iran created a system among other Islamic countries for the first time, the nature of which is similar to other citation analysis services. 

Providing a serious support to the citation system of RICeST by the Minister of Science, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran,this system was introduced briefly in the meeting of the Ministers of Higher Education held in November 20, 2007 in Kuwait. Thus Islamic countries were informed of the establishment of a citation system similar to Thomson Scientific which analyzes the Islamic countries’ research performance published in their national languages. The system, consequently, was entitled Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC). Then, ISC was approved in the ninth meeting of ISESCO General Assembly and was notified to his excellency Dr. Zahedi as following:

 

Your Excellency Dr. Zahedi

Respectable Minister of Science, Research and Technology

 

Considering the presentation of the project of the establishment of Islamic countries scientific information network, ISC, by your excellency in the second meeting of the Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Islamic countries held in Kuwait, it is notified that the project was proposed in the ninth meeting of General Assembly of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and was approved by the majority of the participants. The project then was set in the action plan of ISESCO in 2007-2009.

 

Yours Sincerely

Dr. Gholamreza Karimi

Director General of ISESCO National Committee

Islamic Republic of Iran

  In the second meeting of ranking of universities of Islamic countries held in Tehran, IRI, in April 29, 2007, Dr. Zahedi, the respectable Minister of Science, Research and Technology proposed to hold a seminar on ISC in OIC region. Afterwards, this suggestion was discussed in a meeting held in April 29, 2007 in Azadi Hotel, Tehran, with the presence of Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi from OIC, Dr. Faig Bilal from ISESCO and Dr. Jafar Mehrad from RICeST. The meeting finally, agreed on holding a seminar on ISC in Iran with the cooperation of ISESCO in 2008.

His Excellency Dr. Kabganian, the Vice Minister for Research Affairs of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology assigned two committees to accomplish the 2008 ISC seminar: the Executive Committee and the Scientific Committee.

The Scientific committee holds its meetings in the Office of Director General of Research Affairs of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology and then the reports are delivered to Dr. Bilal in ISESCO.

 

Scientific committee consists of:

Regional Information Center for Science and Technology

ISESCO Regional Office, Tehran, Iran

ISESCO National Committee, Iran

Director General of  the Office of Research Affair, Ministry of Research, Science and Technology

Center for International Scientific Studies and Collaboration (CISSC)

 

3. Aim

Developing ISC as a citation system in the Islamic countries.

 

4. Proposed objectives:

-    The Seminar will provide suitable grounds through which the representatives of Islamic countries will be informed of ISC and its services.

The Seminar shall appraise currently avialable criteria for assessing research performance, and shall review methods and procedures for citation studies.

The Seminar endeavors to create complete agreement for operating ISC in whole Islamic countries.

The Seminar endeavors to make the OIC member state representatives acquanited with measuring the performance of a researcher, a collection of selected articles, a journal or an institute by means of ISC.

NOTE: In this Seminar an Executive Committee for ISC will be established by the Deputy Ministers for Research from all OIC regions.

5.  Proposed programme:

 

Introduction to ISC as a citation analysis system used for assessing research performance;

Presentation of the proposed criteria for the assessing research performance from the OIC regions;

Providing strategy to promote the methods and mechanisms of collecting scientific resources from OIC regions.

 

6.  Expected Outputs:

-  Consensus on the criteria and the proposed procedures  for assessing research performance;

-  Agreement on standard application software for materials from OIC region;

-  Identification of research performance in terms of ranking researchers, articles, journals and institutes;

- Development of  ISC to be elevated at OIC region and international level.

- Establishment of an Executive Committee for ISC from all OIC member countries.

 

 

7.  Patronage and Date

 

The Seminar is under the patronage of Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, IRI. and ISESCO.

 

ISESCO has supported the Seminar financially and some of the expenses of the Seminar such as the participants’ tickets are due to this organization.

 

The Seminar will take place in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran on Dec., 20-21, 2008.

Participants will be accommodated at Esteghlal Hotel.

 

 

8. Language

 

 The working language of the Seminar will be Farsi, Arabic and English.

 

 

9.Seminar Participants

 

- Deputy Ministers for Research Affairs of the Ministers of Higher Education of OIC

   Member Countries.

                  

- Representatives from UNESCO, and some regional organizations of OIC.

 

 

10.Seminar Papers and Reports

 

Scientific Committee of ISC seminar 2008 with the cooperation of ISESCO Regional Office in Tehran and ISESCO in Rabat, Morocco, have an important role in preparing articles and reports in Islamic countries.

 

11.Deadlines for submission of reports and articles from invited speakers is Nov. 25, 2008. (By reports we mean those information some OIC member countries will present at seminar about their scientific journals and publications.)

 

 

12.Deadlines for Seminar Registration

 

All the OIC member states are required to nominate and reconfirm their participation in the Seminar no later than Nov. 1^st.

 

 

13.Expenses

 

Economic class air tickets ,accommodation and meals for all registered participants from each of the OIC member states and representatives from the relevant OIC institutions and UNESCO will be borne by the host country, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 

 

14. Visas

All foreign nationals, except Turks, need visa to visit Iran.

Following is the procedure:

1) After receiving the formal invitation letter signed by Deputy Minister for International Scientific Cooperation , OISC (Dr. Arsalan Ghorbani)

2) The applicant fills up the visa form, which is on the web site of OISC or may be sent by the secretary of the meeting;

3) Send it back to OISC.

The secretary of OISC gets the Deputy Minister’s signature on the visa form and sends it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran in order to obtain a permission number for the applicant's visit to Iran. Once the number is issued it will be faxed by the foreign ministry to the Embassy of I.R. of Iran at the applicant's home country.

 4) The applicant will be notified by the secretary of a number and date, there of he/she must refer to the Embassy with this number, the invitation letter, and the documents mentioned on the visa form to get the visa issued. We strongly recommend that the embassy will be called before making any travels.

 

15. Traveling to Tehran, the Islamic of Republic of Iran

Description of the travel to Tehran, Iran will be sent to the registered participants later.

 

16.Correspondence

 

Enquiries about the information included in this document can be addressed to :

 

ISESCO :

Dr. Faiq Bilal

Director of Science,

Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Avenue des F.A.R. Hay Ryad, P.O. Box 2275

Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco

 

Tel: 0021237-566052/53

Fax: 0021237-566012/13

e-mail : sciences@isesco.org.ma

 

 Regional Information Center for Science and Technology:

 

Islamic World Science Citation Center

Ms. Maryam Naseri

Director

Office of International Scientific Cooperation

P.O Box 71345 – 1734

Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran

Tel : + 98 – 711 – 6264152

Fax: +98 – 711 – 6270312

E-mail : oisc@srlst.com

 

Enquiries about the visa and registration requests/ forms can be addressed to :

 

Visa :

Ms. Fatemeh Farjandi

Office of Deputy  Minister for International  Scientific Cooperation

 

Tel : 0098-21-82234238

Fax: 0098-21-88575751

E-mail : farjandi@gmail.com

 

In order to facilitate issuance of entry visa to the Islamic Republic of Iran, you are advised to transmit immediately an electronic scanned copy of the first two pages of your international passport and the electronic scanned copy of coloured passport size of your photograph to Ms. Fatemeh Farjandi, Office of Deputy  Minister for International  Scientific Cooperation, fax number 0098-21-88575751 and e-mail address farjandi@gmail.com .

 

Please provide information about the scientific journals published by universities/research centers, learned societies.