Scientific Mapping of Ethics Research in Iran: Analyzing the Conceptual Structure with a View to the Global Discourse

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Knowledge and Information Science, Payame Noor University,Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Knowledge and Information Science, Razi University,Kermanshah, Iran,

Abstract

This study analyzes the studies of Iranian researchers in the field of ethics. In this study, the scientific structure of this field was examined and the main research clusters, conceptual dimensions, and key topics of each cluster were identified. This study was conducted using bibliometric techniques and co-words analysis. 3619 records were extracted from the Islamic World Science and Technology Monitoring (ISC) citation database and 1624 records from the Scopus database to identify the trend of research related to ethics. Cluster analysis and strategic diagram were used to mapping the conceptual structure of research and identify subfields and the relationships between them in this field. The research findings showed that the conceptual structure of this field in Persian-language studies consists of nine clusters as follows: moral virtue (1), professional ethics (2), bioethics (3), ethics in the Quran (4), foundations of ethics (5), research ethics (6), nursing ethics (7), Islamic ethics (8), and political ethics (9). Also, the structure of studies in this field in the Scopus database consists of ten clusters as follows: professional ethics; Islamic ethics; research ethics; philosophy of ethics; medical ethics; bioethics; ethical codes; ethical performance evaluation; ethical courage, and ethical leadership. The research results show that there is a relatively high overlap between the sub-domains used in the field of ethics in Persian and English texts. However, Latin-language studies have been conducted more in the field of medical sciences. The content analysis of the articles showed that the field of ethics has gradually shifted from fundamental concepts to diverse and interdisciplinary topics. The findings of this study can help policymakers and researchers develop strategic plans, identify research gaps, and clarify the path for future research.

Keywords

References

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