Profile of medical research publications from the GCC countries, 1990-1994

Using the CD-ROM system of MEDLINE, which contains the origins of articles that are published in about 3500 international medical journals, a survey was performed of the medical publications from the six countries in the Gulf Cooperating Council (GCC) over a period of five years (1990-1994). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was the largest producer of publications, with approximately 400 papers each year. In the same period the output from Kuwait declined from about 200 to lower number, an effect probably caused by the invasion. In contrast, the United Arab Emirates, and to a lesser extent the Sultanate of Oman, have shown a growth in their publication record due to the initiation of new medical schools in these two countries. In the six GCC countries, all the colleges of medicine together were responsible for 34% of the total number of publications, hospitals and health centers published 45% of all papers, while non-medical colleges and other institutions published smaller amounts (10% and 11% respectively).