Algeria has maintained its leading position in the Arab world for the sixth consecutive year, according to the 2026 Arcif rankings. Announcing the publication of the tenth edition of the annual report by the Arab Citation and Impact Factor (Arcif), the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research said that 425 Algerian scientific journals had qualified for inclusion among the 1,303 Arab journals that met Arcif’s evaluation criteria.

This year’s edition examined more than 5,600 scientific and research journals covering a wide range of disciplines and published by more than 2,600 universities and scientific institutions across the Arab world. Algeria also ranked first among Arab countries in terms of the number of cited authors, with a total of 31,554, representing an increase of approximately 4,720 compared with the figures recorded in the previous year’s report.

Algerian publications also performed strongly in subject-specific rankings, with several national journals featuring among the top ten in literature and the humanities, as well as in the social sciences.

In the ranking of Arab universities by research impact, measured by the number of citations received by articles published in their scientific journals, Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla secured fifth place, with 18,149 citations for 3,329 articles. Echahid Hamma Lakhdar University of El Oued ranked ninth, recording 14,099 citations for 4,190 articles, while Ziane Achour University of Djelfa took tenth place, with 13,613 citations for 5,238 articles.

It is worth noting that Arcif operates under the supervision of a Supervisory and Coordination Council comprising representatives of UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States, based in Beirut; the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for western Asia (ESCWA); the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; and the Marifa database. Its work is also supported by a scientific committee made up of recognised experts and academics from several Arab countries and the United Kingdom.

To qualify for inclusion in the Arcif rankings, scientific journals must meet 32 criteria aligned with international standards. These criteria are organised around four main areas: publication standards, editorial content, geographical diversity encompassing Arab and international contributions, and citation analysis.