Scientometric Exploration of Fuzzy Research in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This bibliometric research investigates the development, productivity, and academic influence of fuzzy research from 1981 to 2024 in Saudi Arabia. We retrieved the bibliometric data from the Scopus database and analyzed 5,719 publications, leading to 111,381 citations.  The metric analysis shows that Mohammad A. Abido is leading the country with the highest number of publications. At the same time, King Abdulaziz University and King Saud University are the most productive institutes in fuzzy research. Journals such as the IEEE Access and MDPI are leading quite often as the publishing venue, and a trend of publication towards high-impact journals. International collaborations with Pakistan, India, China, and Canada significantly impacted the research productivity. The visual analysis was done using VOS viewer and Bibliometrix software, which includes co-citation, bibliographic coupling, co-occurrence, word cloud mapping, and emerging or declining thematic maps. These evaluations illustrate strong interdisciplinary ties of literature, while top research topics and trends involve artificial intelligence, optimization, decision making, and sustainability. The current direction is to increase the application of fuzzy logic in the energy, health, and environmental sciences. More generally, this study highlights the trends and themes of Saudi Arabia in the world of fuzzy set theory and its applications, facilitated by institutional backing, inter-institutional collaboration, and increasing demands for cross-disciplinary research.