Quantitative Assessment of Forensic Science Research Output from Nigerian Universities: 2018-2023

Quantitative bibliometric analysis of forensic science research output provides an evidence base for understanding institutional research capacity, thematic priorities, and the relative global positioning of Nigerian forensic science scholarship. This study quantitatively assesses forensic science research output from Nigerian universities between 2018 and 2023. A bibliometric analytical design was employed, extracting 340 peer-reviewed publications from Scopus and Web of Science databases using forensic science subject terms combined with Nigerian institutional affiliation filters. The study analyses publication volume trends, subject area distribution, collaboration patterns, citation impact, and journal indexing quality. Findings reveal an annual average of sixty-eight publications, with a notable forty-two percent increase in output between 2021 and 2023, attributed partly to increased postgraduate research enrolment and international collaborative funding. Forensic toxicology and DNA analysis account for forty-one percent of publications, while digital forensics, forensic anthropology, and environmental forensics remain significantly underrepresented. Citation impact is low compared to South African and Ghanaian forensic science outputs, with a mean field-normalised citation score of 0.61. South West universities, particularly University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, contributed fifty-three percent of total output. Recommendations include targeted research funding for underrepresented forensic disciplines, incentivisation of international collaborative research, and the establishment of a dedicated Nigerian Journal of Forensic Science to improve publication accessibility. Keywords: bibliometrics, research output, forensic science, Nigerian universities, citation analysis.