This recognition comes according to the annual list released by Stanford University in collaboration with Elsevier, which highlights the top 2% of scientists globally. The 2025 list features about 237,000 scientists from 176 countries, covering 22 main scientific disciplines and more than 178 subfields, based on the Scopus database.

In this year’s update, An-Najah researchers secured leading positions in both the long-term and single-year lists at the national level, with the university accounting for more than half of Palestine’s total entries. Notably, Prof. Waleed M. Sweileh, Prof. Sameer Ikhdair, Prof. Sa’ed Zyoud, and Prof. Tamer Khatib ranked at the forefront of Palestine’s long-term list.

The long-term list is based on rigorous indicators that assess the quality and impact of research, including citation counts, the Hirsch index (h-index), co-authorship metrics, author contribution, and consistency of scholarly output. Unlike rankings that rely solely on citation counts or publication numbers, this methodology provides a fairer and more comprehensive evaluation. The single-year list applies the same criteria but focuses exclusively on publications and impact within 2025.

The long-term list included 21 researchers from Palestine, 8 of whom are from An-Najah: Prof. Waleed M. Sweileh, Prof. Sameer Ikhdair, Prof. Sa’ed Zyoud, Prof. Tamer Khatib, Prof. Ansam Sawalha, Prof. Nidal Jaradat, Prof. Ismail Warad, and Prof. Samah Al-Jabi. The single-year list for 2025 featured 39 Palestinian researchers, including 18 from An-Najah: Prof. Waleed M. Sweileh, Prof. Sa’ed Zyoud, Prof. Nidal Jaradat, Prof. Tamer Khatib, Dr. Mohammed Hawash, Dr. Zuheir Khlaif, Prof. Sameer Ikhdair, Prof. Ismail Warad, Prof. Ramzi Shawahna, Prof. Wajeeh Daher, Prof. Samah Al-Jabi, Prof. Taleb Al-Tel, Prof. Abdel Naser Zaid, Prof. Yaqoub Batta, Prof. Ansam Sawalha, Dr. Ahmad Eid, Dr. Amera Shaheen, and Dr. Saad Al-Lahham.

On this occasion, Prof. Abdel Naser Zaid, President of An-Najah University, praised the achievement, stressing that it reflects the university’s leading role in advancing research and solidifies its standing as Palestine’s top university. For his part, Prof. Waleed Sweileh, Dean of Scientific Research and Rankings, expressed pride in the accomplishment, highlighting that this success stems from the university administration’s continuous support and the dedication of its scholars to advancing science.

Stanford’s ranking relies on Scopus data provided by Elsevier, using a set of diverse metrics, including citation counts, the h-index, the HM-index for co-authorship, field-adjusted citation impact, and a composite C-Score that ensures a balanced and reliable evaluation. The full 2025 updated rankings and methodology can be accessed via the official links:
August 2025 data-update for "Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators" - Elsevier BV