Scientific collaboration between Türkiye and the Turkic States: A comparative bibliometric analysis (1992–2025)

Objective. The objective of this study was to map and compare scientific coauthorship between Türkiye and the following countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The timeframe for this study is from 1992 to 2025. Design/Methodology/Approach. A longitudinal comparative bibliometric analysis examined 10,885 Scopus-indexed documents, representing 11,476 publication–country-pair relations. The author–affiliation records were validated, and the institutional names were normalized. The analyses encompassed annual output, bilateral and multilateral participation, institutional strength, and normalized weighted betweenness, as well as fractional disciplinary profiles based on Scopus source classifications. Results/Discussion. The most significant expansion in collaboration was observed after 2020. Of the country-pair relations examined, Türkiye–Azerbaijan accounted for 58.1% of the sample. Multilateral publications constituted 81.3% of the Uzbekistan relationship, whereas 59.8% of the Kyrgyzstan relationship was bilateral. Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University exhibited a dominant presence within the Kyrgyzstan network, while central positions in Kazakhstan were distributed among multiple institutions. Physics institutes constituted the primary hubs within the Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan networks. The disciplines of Physics and Astronomy led the corresponding disciplinary profiles, whereas the discipline of Medicine led those of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Conclusions. Türkiye's collaboration with the four states is characterized by a heterogeneity in institutional and disciplinary patterns, defying the adoption of a singular regional configuration. The publication volume, the country composition, and the institutional network position provide complementary evidence for identifying cooperation opportunities specific to each partnership. Originality/Value. The study integrates author-level collaboration validation, institutional network analysis, and fractional disciplinary profiling within a common comparative framework. The study extends earlier regional comparisons through 2025 and incorporates Uzbekistan.