Contribution of researchers in Arab countries to scientific publications on neglected tropical diseases (1971 – 2020)

Background The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are endemic in several Arab countries. The purpose of the current study was to assess the contribution of researchers in Arab countries to the knowledge base on NTDs using bibliometric indicators. Methods Keywords related to all 20 NTDs were obtained from previously published bibliometric studies and were combined with the names of Arab countries listed as country affiliation. the search strategy was implemented in the Scopus database and bibliometric indicators were generated for the study period from 1971 to 2020 Results The search strategy generated 6542 documents; representing less than 4% of the global research in the field. Scientific research on NTDs from researchers in Arab countries (a) has experienced slow growth; (b) generated a relatively inadequate number of publications over the study period; (c) was disseminated mainly through journals in the field of parasitology or tropical medicine; (d) was contributed by researchers from the 22 Arab countries, but mainly by researchers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan; (e) has fragmented author networks with weak collaboration between active authors in the field; (f) was characterized by strong cross-country research collaboration with researchers in the US and the UK; (g) has focused on three main diseases, specifically, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and onchocerciasis, and (h) showed less emphasis on soil-transmitted helminthiasis infections despite high prevalence. Conclusions Arab countries cannot achieve the 2030 global agenda without control and elimination of prevalent NTDs. Researchers in Arab countries need to establish strong research networks to exchange expertise on all NTDs.