Koya University's scientific journal achieves remarkable 2.4 CiteScore, outperforming regional peers

The Kurdistan Region has achieved a significant milestone in academic publishing, with three of its scientific journals maintaining active indexing in Scopus, the world's largest abstract and citation database. Among these publications, ARO-The Scientific Journal of Koya University has emerged as the regional leader with an impressive CiteScore of 2.4, more than doubling the performance of its closest competitor.

The recently announced CiteScore metrics by Scopus reveal the growing academic influence of Kurdish scientific publications on the international stage. ARO, which has been covered by Scopus from 2021 to 2025, achieved a CiteScore of 2.4, establishing itself as the most cited journal among the Kurdistan Region's Scopus-indexed publications.

"This achievement reflects the quality of research being conducted at Koya University and throughout the Kurdistan Region," said Salah I. Yahya, Director & Executive Editor of Aro journal.

"ARO's strong performance demonstrates our commitment to producing high-impact scientific research that resonates with the global academic community."

Kurdistan Region's Scopus-Indexed Journals Performance

The data clearly shows ARO's dominant position, achieving a CiteScore nearly three times higher than Zanco and more than double that of Passer. Notably, while Passer Journal has the longest coverage period starting from 2019, ARO has managed to achieve superior citation performance despite being indexed for a shorter duration.

The CiteScore metric, calculated by dividing the number of citations received by a journal's documents over a four-year period by the number of documents published in that same timeframe, serves as a key indicator of a journal's impact and influence within the academic community.

This achievement comes at a time when the Kurdistan Region is investing heavily in higher education and research infrastructure. The presence of three Scopus-indexed journals demonstrates the region's growing academic capacity and its researchers' ability to produce work that meets international standards.

The success of these journals, particularly ARO's standout performance, positions the Kurdistan Region as an emerging hub for scientific research in the Middle East. As academic institutions continue to prioritize research excellence, these journals serve as vital platforms for Kurdish and international researchers to share their findings with the global scientific community.

For researchers and academics in the region, having access to Scopus-indexed journals provides crucial opportunities for international visibility and collaboration, further strengthening the Kurdistan Region's position in the global academic landscape.

As a leading academic institution at the local and regional levels, Koya University is currently implementing a comprehensive strategic plan that responds to the needs of the local community and is in line with the global perspective.

The second pillar of this plan, the main pillar of "Research and Innovation", works to influence the field of research and scientific and academic publications, while the fourth objective of this pillar is to manage research resources.

The main pillar of “Internationalisation and Global Visibility” is another main pillar of Koya University's strategic plan. The second objective of this pillar is to promote the institutional repository.