Quranic Studies Evolution: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1880 to 2023

This analysis focuses on the study of the Quran, from 1880 to 2023 using data obtained from Scopus. Made accessible through a BibTeX file on GitHub. The examination covers aspects of research trends including the number of citations per year the influence of sources notable authors and their affiliations the countries of corresponding authors the production trends in different countries over time and a network illustrating how key concepts are interconnected. By conducting an analysis several significant findings were discovered. The data demonstrated an increase in citations per year indicating a growing importance and scholarly interest in Quranic Studies. Noteworthy authors such as Rippin A and Reynolds GS as prominent affiliations like the University of Malaya and International Islamic University Malaysia made substantial contributions to this field. The distribution of corresponding authors countries highlighted Malaysias, Indonesias and Irans roles. Furthermore when examining production trends over time for countries it became evident that contributions from the United Kingdom, USA,Malaysia,Iran and Indonesia had seen growth. Additionally the interconnectedness between concepts such as natural language processing systems, computational linguistics,semantics and information retrieval were emphasized in the cooccurrence network, within Quranic Studies. This, in depth analysis provides insights into the development significant contributors and intersections of themes in the study of the Quran. It establishes a foundation for research endeavors, in this area.


INTRODUCTION
The exploration of the Quran, which is considered Islam's scripture plays a role, in both religious studies and academic research.It serves as a manual for Muslims worldwide.Is highly regarded for its spiritual, ethical and legal significance.
The study of the Quran goes beyond devotion; it encompasses dimensions such as history, language, literature and philosophy that have captivated scholars for centuries.Muslims believe that the Qurans message originated from God and was revealed to Prophet Muhammad in Arabic.It forms the foundation of teachings.Provides guidance on matters related to theology, law, morality, personal behavior and societal governance.Additionally understanding the intricacies of the text necessitates a grasp of Arabic since it serves as the means through which the Qurans message is conveyed.Mastery of this language is essential for comprehending its meaning.
The connection between language and Quranic Studies is intrinsic due to the fact that classical Arabic was used when revealing the Quran.Its verses encompass complexities along with devices and poetic expressions that highlight the linguistic richness specific to Arabic.Scholars specializing in Quranic Studies delve into areas such as linguistics, syntax, grammar.Semantics to unravel the subtleties, within its text.The field of study delves into the structures of language the origins of words and the intricate rules of grammar.It brings to light the depth and complexity found within the verses of the Quran.By understanding Arabic scholars strive to unravel the meanings, contextual subtleties and legal implications present, in the Quran.This sheds light on the connection between the Quran and the Arabic language, within the realm of Quranic Studies [1,2].
For than a thousand years the Quran has played a role in shaping Islamic beliefs, rituals, laws and ethics.Its verses have sparked interpretations.Have led to an extensive body of literature across different fields.Quranic research covers a range of areas including explanations (Tafsir) linguistic analysis (Balaghah) historical contexts (Asbab al Nuzul) legal principles (Fiqh) and spiritual reflections (Tasawwuf).The universal message of the Quran has transcended boundaries by influencing not practices but also literature, art, philosophy as well as social norms across diverse cultures.Despite the impact of the Quran and its enduring significance today; there is a scarcity in scholarly studies that employ bibliometric methods to analyze trends and patterns, in Quranic Studies.While traditional methods and qualitative analyses have enhanced our understanding of the intricacies of the Quran bibliometrics provides an approach that allows for an comprehensive examination of research output, citations, authors, affiliations and global trends, in this field.
The lack of investigations in Quranic Studies is a notable gap considering the widespread academic interest and the Qurans significant influence on societies around the world.Existing literature, while abundant in explanations and historical studies lacks quantitative assessments that could reveal the evolving dynamics, scholarly impacts and emerging trends within Quranic Studies.This absence of analyses represents a gap in our understanding of the scholarly landscape in Quranic Studies.Utilizing tools to explore patterns, citations, influential authors, affiliations and thematic networks could greatly contribute to uncovering the nuances of scholarship.Such an approach could provide insights into growth trajectories, influential voices, interdisciplinary intersections and global participation in Quranic Studies.Additionally it could offer guidance to scholars, practitioners and policy makers by identifying emerging areas for research collaboration well as avenues for further research.This will ultimately lead to a nuanced understanding of this crucial field.Given this context the aim of this study is to conduct an analysis covering the period, from 1880 to 2023 focusing on Quranic Studies.This analysis aims to bridge the gap, in our understanding of the trends, patterns and developments within Quranic Studies.By using tools we will explore citations, influential authors, affiliations, countries contributions and thematic networks.
The goal is to provide evidence and critical insights that shed light on the landscape of Quranic scholarship.Through this endeavor we hope to deepen our knowledge of Quranic Studies by uncovering connections identifying contributors and mapping the ever evolving nature of this multifaceted field in academia and, beyond [3][4][5][6].

METHODOLOGY Data Collection and Search Strategy
For this study we used Scopus as our database to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the trends and development, in Quranic Studies.We chose Scopus because it covers a range of literature from different disciplines including various aspects of Quranic studies [7].
To find articles about the Quran we formulated a search query using the keywords "Quran OR Qur'an."We specifically focused on the article titles to ensure that the retrieved documents are specific and relevant, to our study's scope.

Retrieval of Documents
After running the search query we found a total of 2,436 documents, from Scopus.These documents served as the foundation for analyzing and evaluating the trends and advancements, in Quranic Studies during the ten years.

Bibliographic Data Extraction
To carry out the analysis and gather the figures and tables we utilized the R programming language with the help of the biblioshiny package, in RStudio.Although we faced some challenges regarding the completeness of metadata in the retrieved documents we made efforts to minimize any impact caused by missing data on our analysis.We evaluated the completeness of bibliographic metadata based on parameters, which are elaborated in Table 1.While essential metadata elements such, as author information, document type, journal details, publication year, title and total citations were mostly complete certain elements exhibited varying degrees of incompleteness.

LIMITATION
We must recognize the significance of metadata specifically when it comes to cited references, keywords and the corresponding author information.These limitations can impact the analysis of trends, in Quranic Studies.We took these constraints into account while interpreting and discussing the findings of our study.

MAIN INFORMATION
The dataset acquired from Scopus contains information, about Quranic Studies research spanning from 1880 to 2023.It consists of a collection of 2,436 documents sourced from 928 journals, books and other scholarly publications providing a comprehensive overview of the field's literature.Figure 1 clearly shows how research in Quranic Studies has steadily grown over the years with a growth rate of around 3.65%.This sustained expansion indicates the enduring interest and scholarly involvement in this field for decades.One interesting aspect found in the document content is the prevalence of keywords used.The dataset includes a variety of keywords with 4,836 author provided keywords (DE) and 2,990 Keywords plus (ID).This extensive repository of keywords highlights the themes and topics explored within Quranic Studies research.Additionally it reveals that there is collaboration among researchers in this field as evidenced by contributions from a total of 3,602 authors.Out of these documents 1,047 were authored by individuals while others were products of efforts.Collaboration among authors is apparent with an average of 1.94 co-authors per document and, around 8.128% collaborating.The dataset includes a variety of documents, such, as articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, and reviews and other academic formats.The prevalence of articles and book chapters reflects the ways scholars communicate and share information in the field of Quranic Studies.Additionally the analysis shows that on average the included documents are 8.99 years old since their publication.This information gives us an idea of the maturity and historical context of the literature studied.Interestingly even though the dataset contains a number of references it is worth noting that there are zero references specified.This detail could indicate a limitation in extracting metadata or some unique characteristic within the dataset itself.Further investigation is needed to understand how citations are used in Quranic Studies literature.The extensive dataset collected from Scopus provides a view of Quranic Studies research.It showcases its growth over time efforts, among authors, diverse document types and thematic diversity represented by keywords-contributing significantly to our understanding of how this field has evolved.

Annual Scientific Production
The annual research output, in the field of Quranic Studies provides a story of how the field has evolved and produced work over time.Figure 2 visually represents this progression displaying the distribution of articles from 1880 to 2023.The data reflects a period in the century when there were only occasional publications with single article releases like those in 1915, 1923 and 1927.This phase indicates that Quranic Studies was just starting to receive attention with contributions.In the following decades there were fluctuations in research output with bursts of scholarly activity seen in the late 1930s and early 1940s.However it was during the mid-20th century around the 1950s and 1960s that Quranic Studies began to attract consistent interest from scholars as evidenced by an increase in publications during those years.Starting from the 1970s onwards there is a trend in annual research production.Despite some fluctuations along the way overall there is a rise in output which indicates a growing academic interest and involvement within Quranic Studies.This growth becomes particularly noticeable from the 2000s with a significant surge in publications.It exemplifies a period marked by activity and extensive research efforts, within this field.Furthermore there has been a surge, in production in recent years specifically between 2010 and 2023.The data suggests an increase in research output during this time period with the point being reached in 2020.However it is worth mentioning that there has been a decrease in the number of articles in 2023 compared to years.The overall trend indicates a growing interest and output within Quranic Studies reflecting the field's development and progress over time.This upward trajectory not demonstrates the expansion of the community involved in Quranic Studies but also highlights the evolving significance and relevance of this field, within academic discussions.

Average Citations per Year
The study of the number of citations, per year in the field of Quranic Studies gives us an understanding of how scholarly publications in this area have been recognized and valued over time.Figure 3 presents a representation of the number of citations per article over the years showing how citation impact has evolved.In the century from 1880 to 1940 articles in Quranic Studies received relatively low numbers of citations typically ranging from 0 to 5. However it's important to note that during this period there were years when articles were considered citable indicating a growth in scholarly recognition and impact.We can observe an increase in citation impact starting from the mid-20th century particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.During this time articles in Quranic Studies started receiving numbers of citations per article ranging from 3 to 12.This suggests that these publications gained recognition and influence within the community during this period.In decades from the 1970s to the early 2000s there were fluctuations in the average number of citations per article which varied between 1 and15.Some years showed citation numbers while others had lower values indicating differing levels of scholarly impact among publications, within Quranic Studies.Significantly there has been a pattern, in the span from the 2000s until now.The average number of citations per article shows a fluctuating trend with values ranging between 1 and 16 citations.Despite these fluctuations there is an observation of citation impact indicating a stable influence of Quranic Studies publications although specific years may experience variations.Furthermore as we move towards years in the dataset there appears to be a tendency towards lower average citations per article.However it is important to interpret this trend since the dataset may not fully represent the impact of recent publications due to the time lag between publication and citation.The examination of citations per year within Quranic Studies reveals a trend in scholarly impact and recognition.While there have been fluctuations in citation impact across periods, in this field there remains evidence of scholarly engagement and recognition demonstrated through varying degrees of citation impact throughout the years.

Sources' Local Impact
The evaluation of the impact of sources, in the field of Quranic Studies provides insights into the importance and influence of specific journals and publications in this academic area.Figure 4 presents measurements, such as h index, g index and m index among others, which help us understand the citation impact and significance of these sources within the field.One prominent source that stands out is the Journal of Qur'anic Studies.It has a h index score of 15 indicating that least 15 articles in this journal have received a minimum of 15 citations each.Furthermore it has a g index score of 19 and an m index score of 0.600.These numbers further confirm its influence and impact within the community solidifying its position as a highly cited and influential source in Quranic Studies.With a citation count (TC) of 730 since its establishment in 1999 (PY_start) it has become a repository for scholarly works in this domain.Similarly another noteworthy source is the Bulletin of the School of African Studies.It demonstrates metrics, with an h index score of 11 a g index score of 16 and an m index score of 0.175.Despite having a count of 285 and being published earlier in 1961 this source continues to hold influence in the field of Quranic Studies as evidenced by its significant citation impact metrics.
Similarly the publication titled "The Qur'an, in its Historical Context" also demonstrates impact within Quranic Studies with an h index of 10 a g index of 11 and an m index of 0.588.Despite having a count of 299 and being published more recently in 2007 it has made a substantial contribution to the field.Moreover other sources like the Journal of Religion and Health the Muslim World and Arabica each demonstrate varying degrees of impact within Quranic Studies.These sources have citation impact metrics, publication histories and levels of influence within the field.Evaluating these sources based on their citation metrics provides insights into their significance and influence in Quranic Studies.This understanding contributes significantly to the landscape, in this field.

Most Relevant Authors
When we delve into the realm of Quranic Studies it becomes evident that certain scholars have made contributions, to the discourse in this field.Figure 5 provides an overview of the prolific authors considering their article counts and fractionalized contributions.This sheds light on their prominence within the community.One standout figure in Quranic Studies is Rippin A, who has produced a body of work with 22 articles.Their high fractionalized contribution of 20.03 emphasizes their impact on shaping the discourse and disseminating knowledge within this field.Similarly Reynolds GS also holds a position with 19 articles and a fractionalized contribution of 18.50.This solidifies their role as a contributor to Quranic Studies and highlights their presence within the academic community focused on this subject [8].Moreover authors like Bijaksana MA and Dror Y have each contributed 13 articles to this field though with varying degrees of contributions.Their consistent scholarly output demonstrates involvement and valuable contributions to the discourse in Quranic Studies.Additionally scholars such, as Sinai N, Azmi MS, Daneshgar M, Alginahi YM and Huda AF have each made contributions ranging from 10 to 12 articles while having levels of fractionalized contributions [9][10][11][12][13][14][15].These esteemed scholars have made an impact, on the conversation and dissemination of knowledge in the field of Quranic Studies.By examining their publication records and individual contributions we gain insights into their eminence and influence within this discipline.Their substantial body of work plays a role, in advancing our understanding of the Quran and its multifaceted aspects shaping the discourse and development in this field.

Most Relevant Affiliations
The study of the affiliations that play a role, in Quranic Studies reveals the institutions and academic bodies that contribute significantly to this field.Figure 6 provides an overview of the prominent affiliations based on their number of articles showcasing their active involvement and influence in this scholarly domain.One notable institution is the University of Malaya which stands out as a contributor with a total of 55 articles.This substantial scholarly output solidifies the University of Malaya's position as a leading institution actively engaged in Quranic Studies emphasizing its role in advancing research and disseminating knowledge within this field.Close is the International Islamic University Malaysia, which also makes a commendable contribution with 51 articles.The noteworthy scholarly output from this institution highlights its involvement and significant impact on Quranic Studies demonstrating its dedication to research and academic excellence in this area.Furthermore the Islamic Azad University has made contributions with a total of 47 articles.This further establishes it as an entity actively contributing to the discourse within Quranic Studies.The substantial scholarly output from this institution showcases its commitment, to advancing research and disseminating knowledge in this field.In addition several esteemed institutions, like Taibah University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia King Saud University, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA and the University of Notre Dame have all made contributions in the field of Quranic Studies.Their active participation and remarkable scholarly output highlight their importance in shaping the discussions and advancements within this field.By examining the number of articles produced by each institution we can gain insights into their involvement and contributions to Quranic Studies.These institutions play a role in promoting research fostering efforts, among scholars and disseminating knowledge.Their significant contributions greatly contribute to the growth and development of this discipline.Fig. 6.Most Relevant Affiliations Similarly the USA followed a trajectory with Quranic Studies research.Starting with a number of articles in the 1930s their scholarly output steadily increased over time.Unlike the UKs pattern there was growth in publications from the USA with noticeable acceleration post 1970s.Eventually reaching its peak around 2020 2023 this signifies their sustained contribution to Quranic Studies.On contrast, to this trend seen in UK and USAs output growth patterns over time; Malaysia, Iran and Indonesia exhibited patterns.Malaysia's involvement, in the field of Quranic Studies has seen an increase starting from the 2000s with an acceleration after 2010.The growth has been remarkable showing Malaysia's growing engagement and valuable contributions to Quranic Studies in years.In the mid-20th century Iran had a presence in this field.However starting from the 2000s Iran experienced growth in output and surpassed significant milestones in contributions to Quranic Studies.The country witnessed progress from 2010 onwards reaching its peak around 2020 2023.Indonesia's contributions to Quranic Studies followed a trajectory as Iran.Initially having a presence until the late 2000s Indonesia saw exponential growth in scholarly output from 2010 onwards.The country significantly increased its contributions.Experienced notable growth from 2015 to 2023 demonstrating an escalating trend in publications related to Quranic Studies.When examining the production of countries over time within the field of Quranic Studies it becomes evident that while the UK and the USA demonstrated progressive growth, Malaysia, Iran and Indonesia experienced remarkable surges in scholarly output.These countries have made contributions, to Quranic Studies in recent years.

Co-occurrence Network
The network analysis of Quranic Studies shown in Figure 9 provides insights, into the relationships and importance of themes and concepts within this field.The nodes in the network represent ideas like "natural language processing systems "quran", "semantics," "al-quran" " linguistics" and "information retrieval."By examining the clusters of nodes we can observe a division into two groups.Cluster 1 mainly consists of terms related to the academic aspects of Quranic Studies, including "natural language processing systems "quran," "semantics," "al-quran " " linguistics," and "information retrieval."These nodes are highly interconnected with each other as indicated by their betweenness centrality.This suggests their significance in facilitating the flow of information within this cluster.Moreover these nodes have a to closeness centrality signifying their proximity and accessibility within the network.The PageRank scores further emphasize their influence on information flow, within this cluster.On the hand Cluster 2 consists of nodes related to more diverse topics such, as "human," "Islam," "religion," "female," "male," "humans," "adult," and "controlled study."Unlike Cluster 1 these nodes don't play a role in controlling the flow of information within this cluster.However they have a level of accessibility to each other.The PageRank scores for the nodes in Cluster 2 are lower than those in Cluster 1. Still indicate some level of importance in influencing information sharing within this thematic cluster.The comparison between the clusters highlights a distinction between Quranic Studies terminology (Cluster 1) and more general themes centered on humans (Cluster 2).The nodes in Cluster 1 have a role in shaping the information landscape within Quranic Studies while the nodes in Cluster 2 although less influential in spreading information remain accessible, within their group.Overall through co-occurrence network analysis we gain a nuanced understanding of how specific concepts and themes interconnect.Hold significance within Quranic Studies.This analysis underscores the role by terminologies in shaping how information flows and is disseminated within this domain.

DISCUSSION
The analysis of Figure 3 which shows the Average Citations per Year reveals a pattern, in how scholarly recognition has evolved over time.It becomes particularly intriguing when comparing it with Figure 8 which displays the Countries Production over Time.We can observe that the peaks in citation rates often coincide with periods when specific countries, like the United Kingdom and the USA have increased their output.For example in the United Kingdom there is a spike in production starting from 2004 that aligns with a rise in citations.This suggests a connection between research productivity from certain regions and its subsequent impact on scholarly acknowledgment hinting at how production volume influences citation rates.When we examine Figure 5 (Most Relevant Authors) alongside Figure 6 (Most Relevant Affiliations) we uncover a pattern.Prolific authors tend to be affiliated with institutions that make contributions to Quranic Studies.For instance authors like Rippin A and Reynolds GS who have publication records are often associated with leading institutions such as the University of Malaya and the International Islamic University Malaysia.This association implies a correlation between prowess and institutional support ultimately influencing the depth and breadth of research, within this field.When we examine the countries of the corresponding authors (Figure 7) and the co-occurrence network (Figure 9) we gain insights, into the distribution and thematic relevance in the field of Quranic Studies.Countries like Malaysia and Indonesia which have a number of corresponding authors also play a role in shaping the themes within Quranic Studies as seen in the strong nodes within the co-occurrence network.Malaysia for example not demonstrates an increasing trend in output but also shows strong thematic relevance through influential nodes in the co-occurrence network.This suggests that regions contributing significantly to output also have an impact on shaping core themes and concepts within Quranic Studies.Moreover when we consider the impact of sources (Figure 4) along with the co network (Figure 9) an interesting correlation emerges.Journals with impact measures are observed to be nodes within thematic clusters of the network.For instance journals like Journal of Qur'anic Studies and Journal of Religion and Health known for their impact hold positions within thematic clusters of the co-occurrence network.This indicates that impactful journals not reflect publication metrics but also play a significant role in shaping prevalent themes and interconnections, within Quranic Studies.To sum up these comparisons of datasets emphasize the relationships, between academic acknowledgment, geographical factors, institutional affiliations and thematic significance, in the study of the Quran.The combined influence of authors backed by affiliations greatly influences the development of thematic landscapes academic recognition and the overall progression of this field.

CONCLUSION
The findings obtained from analyzing the data of Quranic Studies open up possibilities, for future research.It would be valuable to explore the reasons behind the increasing output in countries like Malaysia and the USA and understand what factors have contributed to their prominence as contributors.It is worth examining how emerging trends, such as natural language processing systems are impacting research methods and knowledge discovery in Quranic Studies.Long term studies can also provide an understanding of how authorship, affiliations and thematic networks have evolved in this field over time.Furthermore studying collaborations and their influence on Quranic Studies can reveal insights into changing research paradigms and their implications for the future of this academic domain.Lastly investigating the relationship between citation patterns and actual scholarly impact on both societal levels is crucial, for understanding the real world significance of Quranic Studies.

DATA SOURCE
The data used for this analysis comes from Scopus, a database that contains abstracts and citations, across academic disciplines.We.Compiled the dataset into a BibTeX file directly from Scopus focusing on research articles related to Quranic Studies.To ensure accessibility and transparency we uploaded the BibTeX file to GitHub.This allows other members of the community to review and validate our research findings well as reproduce the analysis if desired.You can find the link to the BibTeX file here.Including this information about our data source enhances transparency and reproducibility in our study.By sharing details about where we obtained the dataset and making it available on a platform like GitHub we enable researchers to verify our methods replicate our findings and potentially explore further investigations, in Quranic Studies.

TABLE I .
COMPLETENESS OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC METADATA -2436 DOCUMENTS FROM SCOPUS.