Currently, the contributions of scientists, organizations and even countries to the development of science are also evaluated according to the number of scientific publications and references. That is, the cornerstone of modern philosophy of science is the mandatory publication of the results of original research. Only then can they be verified and then become part of the research we call “scientific knowledge.” For example, scientists working in the most scientifically advanced countries claim that they spend most of their time, about 70-80%, writing articles, reports and projects, rather than conducting experiments, processing results and making calculations.
In our country, the publication of scientific articles by our scientists in prestigious journals has always been a weak point.
“Caspian” The newspaper published an article on the subject.
The number of scientific works will exceed 3,000 for the first time
These days, the information released by the Ministry of Science and Education on the subject seems to be a step towards solving the problem. Minister Emin Amrullayev’s exchange on this topic indicates important progress in this field. “The indicators of our scientists in the scientific database “Scopus” have improved significantly. Compared to last year, the number of articles in the database has more than doubled to 2,382 in 8 months of this year. The 11.2% of the articles by our scientists are among the 10% of the most cited scientific works in the world in 2025. It is not ruled out that the total number of scientific works in the country exceeds 3,000 for the first time in history”, – he says in the publication. It was also observed that there is a significant increase in the number of articles published in journals in the Q1 and Q2 quartile.
However, the question arises: “Is the increase in scientific articles an indicator of scientific achievements as a whole or an increase in the international scientific activity of Azerbaijani scientists?”
We try to find out the opinions of researchers on the topic:
“Let the word “Azerbaijani science” exist”
Academician Rafik Aliyev considers the indicator to be very good in terms of quantity: getting into Scopus is a great success. But I have no information in which journals the articles were published. In the world, scientific journals are divided into 4 categories: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4. If 50 to 60 percent of scientific articles approaching 3,000 are included in the Q1-Q2 category, this is a great success. It would be great if the articles were published in selected journals around the world. That is, there should be many references to them, let them be spread and the word “Azerbaijani science” should be there. More attention should be paid to “Web of Science” and publishing in “Scopus”. These are recognized as the best published journals by the global scientific community. So we can make a comparison between quality and quantity. My wish is that these studies continue in the future and belong to the first category. It is gratifying that three of our universities: Baku State University, University of Economics and State and Petroleum Industry University are included in the “QS Ranking of World Universities”. If points are accumulated, scientists regularly receive an extra payment. This procedure exists in other universities around the world. This creates an incentive for scientists and researchers. However, to stimulate them it would be better not once, but periodically.”
Serious measures are finally being taken
“In general, there is a correlation between the number of articles and the quality of scientific works. However, a large number of articles is not always an indicator of quality,” says Garib Murshudov, professor at the University of Cambridge: “It is It only reflects the existence of scientific works and the activity of scientists. Quantity and quality are different concepts, but if there is no quantity, it would be interesting to observe the development of Chinese science in the 1990s. In the 2000s, it was lent. more attention to the number of articles published in China, and in approximately 2010, the number of articles published in China was equal to that of Europe and America; the main focus was on quality and the articles published there are comparable in quality to the articles. Europeans and Americans, and sometimes they surpass them.”
The development of science should affect the economy.
According to the scientist, it is important to use different criteria to measure quality: “For example, journal impact factors are one of the most used criteria for this purpose. Although this approach is sometimes considered contradictory. The main criterion of quality The advancement of science can be measured by the impact of scientific results on the country’s economy. However, the development of the scientific environment and the training of specialists are important for creating such an effect. The steps taken should be welcomed. , finally serious steps are being taken to boost the development of science in Azerbaijan”.
A prize of a thousand manats will not solve the problems
The scientist believes that, in general, it is necessary to make radical changes in the salary structure in the fields of science and education. The current salary structure is unsatisfactory and the amount of salaries is too low: “However, changing the salary structure without applying precise mechanisms that can measure the quantity and quality of scientific work will not work. I hope that the elimetric methods currently used, although “It is not perfect, it will improve the salary structure and in general it is the first step towards reforms in the organization of science.”
Regarding awards, the scientist says that this practice is common in developed countries and leading institutions: “Of course, the award of a thousand manat alone will not solve all problems in the organization of science. But it will I see it positively as a small step.”
