GANJ Iran Scientific Information Database IranDoc

History and Founding

GANJ (گنج, meaning 'treasure' in Persian) is Iran's national scientific information database, developed and operated by the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc), which was established in 1968 as the Iranian Documentation Centre. The initiative to build a centralised scientific information database grew from IranDoc's decades-long work in gathering, organising, and disseminating scientific and technical documents in Iran. In 1998, data was first entered using CDS-ISIS on mainframe computers. In 2001 GANJ became remotely accessible via the Iranian network Saba using dial-up technology, and from 1999 via the Internet. The database has been continuously updated and expanded since then.

Collections and Holdings

GANJ is the only comprehensive database of Iranian academic theses and dissertations, and is considered one of the most reliable and visited academic databases in Iran. In addition to theses and dissertations from Iranian institutions at home and abroad, the database includes research projects, government reports, and scholarly articles. It hosts well over 100,000 research documents (with more recent estimates indicating over one million records) and serves more than 10,000 unique IP-based users per day. GANJ underpins several of IranDoc's other information services, including a similarity-check system for detecting plagiarism.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

GANJ provides access to Iranian academic research across all disciplines, including studies on journalism, media, and communication. IranDoc also historically maintained the Directory of Iranian Newspapers and the Directory of Iranian Periodicals, making it a reference point for Iranian press documentation.

Access and Usage

GANJ is accessible online at ganj.irandoc.ac.ir. Users can search for theses and other documents; some full-text content requires registration or is subject to embargo periods. The service is available to researchers, students, and institutions in Iran and internationally.