Surname-based analysis of publications in Scopus
To analyze the existing and potential collaboration patterns and create the map of the Armenian academic diaspora, we relied on the Scopus database and extracted all publications indexed from the earliest available records through April 2026 in which authors had Armenian surnames. Scopus does not cover all possible publications, but is quite representative in terms of the academic output. Identification of authors is based on surname patterns and does not imply nationality, identity, or self-identification, although it may overlap with them. In other words, the Armenian character of a surname does not necessarily imply identity, language proficiency, or cultural affiliation, nor does it capture scholars of Armenian descent who have changed their surnames. Rather, surnames serve as an indicator of belonging to the broader and heterogeneous historical Armenian diaspora. The primary source for constructing the dictionary of Armenian surnames was Armeniapedia.org, which provides a comprehensive list of Armenian surnames. Importantly, this list includes not only the most common contemporary surnames but also historical forms that remain in use within the diaspora. Because a simple search based on Armenian surname patterns yields a substantial number of false positives—particularly in Southeast Asia and China due to transliteration conventions into English—we conducted additional surname-level analysis and cleaned the list to remove most false-positive cases. After retrieving the publications, we extracted only authors with Armenian surnames along with their affiliations. A key limitation is that only the first 100 authors per publication were available. The dataset was subsequently enriched with geolocation data for institutions and disciplinary classifications. Disciplinary categorization was defined based on the categories assigned by Scopus to the journals in which the publications appeared. Using data about affiliation and disciplines we analyzed existing and potential patterns of collaboration of scholars with Armenian affiliations with the Armenian-linked scholars. The geolocation data was used to create a map of Armenian-linked global research.
Due to the complex nature of some heritage Armenian family names and the peculiarities of transliteration from different languages into English, our database, even after extensive cleaning, may still contain false positives and may exclude some individuals as false negatives. Additionally, due to inconsistencies in affiliation, location, and country data in the Scopus database, our map may also contain inaccuracies. If you spot any such case, please report it via email ([email protected]) and attach a screenshot.