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The first day of the 10th Arab Impact Factor Conference began at King Khalid University. The university is hosting the two-day event at the Exhibition and Convention Center in Al-Fara'a University City under the theme "Scientific Publishing and the Knowledge Economy". The first day featured a balance of interactive discussion sessions and specialized scientific papers, discussing the latest issues related to scientific publishing and its role in building the knowledge economy. The event included a select group of ministers, experts, and academic and research leaders from across the Arab world, as well as a large academic and research audience.
The day's events began with the first discussion session titled "How Do We Build a Globally Competitive Publishing System?" The session was moderated by Dr. Hamed bin Majdou Al-Qarni, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at King Khalid University. Participants included Prof. Faleh bin Rajaallah Al-Solami, President of King Khalid University; Dr. Essam Khamis, former Deputy Minister of Higher Education in Egypt; and Dr. Abdulmajeed bin Amara, Secretary-General of the Federation of Arab Scientific Research Councils. The discussion focused on the requirements for building an Arab scientific publishing system capable of competing globally.
The second discussion session, titled "Open Publishing: Opportunities for Expansion and Challenges of Quality," was moderated by Dr. Mohammed Salem Al-Shughaibi from King Khalid University. The panel included Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities; Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al-Qahtani; and Dr. Areej Mohammed Al-Asiri from King Khalid University. The interventions focused on the importance of open publishing, its role in enhancing access to knowledge, and the challenges of maintaining its quality.
The third discussion session was titled "From Measurement to Decision: Using Data to Improve Performance." It was moderated by Dr. Areej Mohammed Al-Asiri from King Khalid University, with participation from Dr. Mahmoud Abdul-Aty, Head of the Arab Impact Factor; Dr. Moawad Al-Khouly, President of New Mansoura University; and Dr. Ayman Sami Abdul-Khaleq from Sultan Qaboos University. The participants discussed the role of data analytics and artificial intelligence in supporting academic decision-making and improving research performance.
The first day's discussion sessions concluded with a fourth session titled "Aligning Incentives and Academic Promotion with University Strategies." Moderated by Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Al-Sheikh from King Khalid University, the session included Dr. Muteb Saeed Al-Ghamdi from King Khalid University; Dr. Iman Wafky, Conference Coordinator; and Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdul-Hakim from Helwan University. The discussion highlighted the importance of re-evaluating incentive and promotion systems to align them with university priorities and global quality standards.
In addition to the discussion sessions, the first day also featured a scientific paper presented by Dr. Mahmoud Abdul-Aty, Head of the Arab Impact Factor. He discussed ways to build a globally competitive scientific publishing system. He explained that the Arab Impact Factor no longer relies solely on citations but on alternative criteria, including open access, quality, transparency, diversity, and innovation. He emphasized the need to combat predatory journals and academic extortion, considering investment in knowledge to be a matter of national security.
In the second paper, Dr. Essam Khamis, former Deputy Minister of Higher Education in Egypt, emphasized that integrity in scientific research is based on honesty, transparency, impartiality, and accountability. He mentioned tools like the "RI²" index for monitoring withdrawals and deleted journals. He warned against the dangers of dishonest practices such as plagiarism, forgery, and manipulation of institutional affiliation, stressing that the solution lies in strong peer-review systems and an academic culture based on ethics.
For his part, Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, addressed the impact of open publishing in boosting citations by up to 40%. He pointed out the challenges facing this path, such as weak governance and the scarcity of internationally indexed Arab journals. He proposed innovative funding models through endowments, university partnerships, the private sector, and international grants. He also called for the need for unified Arab policies on governance and quality.
Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al-Qahtani from King Khalid University explained that Arab research output is experiencing quantitative growth but remains weak in terms of citations and patents. He highlighted key challenges such as limited funding, weak intellectual property protection, and a lack of partnerships with industry. He proposed a roadmap extending to 2040 called the "Arab Innovation Circle," which would establish strategic partnerships between universities and industry to transform research into products and startups.
Dr. Ayman Sami Abdul-Khaleq from Sultan Qaboos University addressed the importance of the digital infrastructure for scientific journals. He explained that digital platforms like OJS and ScholarOne enhance transparency and speed of publication, while archiving through CLOCKSS and Portico ensures the preservation of research. He affirmed that indexing in databases like Scopus and Web of Science contributes to increasing credibility, presenting the successful experience of the Alexandria Engineering Journal as a model to be followed.
Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdul-Hakim from Helwan University pointed out that some incentive systems focus on quantity at the expense of quality, which diminishes the real impact of research. He called for building a transparent system that links incentives to institutional strategies and combines both financial and moral incentives, thereby enhancing academic motivation and university excellence.
The day's sessions concluded with a paper presented by Dr. Muteb Saeed Al-Ghamdi from King Khalid University, who discussed the issue of some universities relying solely on the number of publications for academic promotion. He emphasized the necessity of shifting towards a focus on the quality of research and its scientific and societal impact. He called for aligning promotion regulations with global rankings such as QS, THE, and Shanghai, stating that the transition from quantity to quality is the way to achieve academic fairness.
It is worth noting that the conference is held in partnership with the Association of Arab Universities and the Federation of Arab Scientific Research Councils. Its goal is to review the latest developments and issues related to scientific publishing and highlight its pivotal role in building the knowledge economy. Through its scientific sessions, the conference addresses multiple topics, including: developing the scientific publishing environment, integrity and peer review, open and free access publishing, digital transformation and journal infrastructure, incentive and funding policies, and academic promotion criteria, in addition to exploring future funding and partnership prospects.
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