Investigation of the Production and Publication Status of Ergonomics Books in Iran

A significant indicators of progress and development is the publication of books within any scientific domain. Ergonomics, a critical field associated with human and occupational health, contributes to enhancing productivity and the health level of employees. The present study aims to investigate the state of production and publication of ergonomics books in Iran.

The current study employed a descriptive approach and content analysis with a bibliometric perspective. The research population encompaased all ergonomics books registered on the National Library website. To access relevant books, searches were conducted without temporal limitations using keywords such as ergonomics, human factors engineering, and other related terms. The collected data were then entered into a pre-designed form in Excel software and, in the final stage, were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

In total, 313 book titles in the field of ergonomics have been published between the years 1989 to 2023, indicating an increasing trend in the publication of books in this area. The highest frequency was for authored books, accounting for 78.27 percent of the publications. Mohammad Amin Mououdi, Majid Motamedzadeh, and Alireza Choobineh were the most active authors in this field. The subject areas of ergonomics principles and application, occupational ergonomics, and human factors engineering had the highest frequency. Fanavaran publications held the highest rank among all publishers. In total, 38 book titles reached multiple editions.

The results of the current study signify an upward trend in book publication within the field of ergonomics in Iran. However, there is a need for more attention from authors in some specializations of this science, including occupational biomechanics, urban ergonomics, ergonomics in domestic settings, and ergonomics for children. Additionally, there is a notable lack of focus on the publication of electronic books in this scientific field. Therefore, to give more consideration to the advantages of electronic books and consider their publication.