Barw Barw Medical Journal 2960-1959 3 3 2025 06 25 Defining the Scientist: A Consensus-Based Approach 13 19 10.58742/bmj.v3i3.192 eng João Gama Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. joao.gama@gmail.com Marko Mladineo Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, Rudera Boskovica, Croatia. MarkoMladineo@gmail.com Shelina Bhamani Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. ShelinaBhamani@gmail.com Behzad Shahmoradi Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. BehzadShahmoradi@gmail.com Victoria Samanidou Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. VictoriaSamanidou@gmail.com Alexander S. Novikov Infochemistry Scientific Center, ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia. Alexander.Novikov@gmail.com Berun A. Abdalla Scientific Affairs Department, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. berun.anwer95@gmail.com Shvan H. Mohammed Xzmat polyclinic, Rizgari, Kalar, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. shvanh80@gmail.com Fahmi H. Kakamad College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. fahmi.hussein@univsul.edu.iq Ayman M. Mustafa Scientific Affairs Department, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. aymanmajid75@gmail.com Hunar A. Hassan Kscien Organization for Scientific Research (Middle East Office), Azadi mall, Hamdi Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Hunar.hassan@gmail.com Ahmed Gh. Hamasaeed Faculty of Medical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. ahmed.saeed@gmail.com Ali D. Sadullah Scientific Affairs Department, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. ali.sadullah@gmail.com Raman Z. Khudhur Software Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq. raman.00271919@gmail.com Walid R. Rashed Kscien Organization for Scientific Research (Middle East Office), Azadi mall, Hamdi Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. walid.rashed@gmail.com Alejandra Bravo Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Alejandra.Bravo@gmail.com Gabriel Bernardello Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba (UNC), Argentina. GabrielBernardello@gmail.com Sudhakar Srivastava Plant Stress Biology Laboratory, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Sudhakar.Srivastava@gmail.com Sohail Nadeem Department of Chemistry, University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Sohail.Nadeem@gmail.com Christer Janson Department of Medical Sciences, Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. christer.janson@gmail.com Petra Liskova Department of Paediatrics and Inherited Metabolic Disorders, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic. Petra.Liskova@gmail.com Muhammad Shahzad Shamim Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Muhammad.Shamim@gmail.com Zoran Kalinić Department of Informatics and Quantitative Methods, Faculty of Economics, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia. Zoran.Kalinić@gmail.com Marco Colizzi Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DMED), University of Udine, Udine, Italy. Marco.Colizzi@gmail.com Andreas Maercker Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Psychopathology and Clinical Intervention, Zurich, Switzerland. Andreas.Maercker@gmail.com Suzana Konjevoda Department of Ophthalmology, Zadar General Hospital, Zadar, Croatia. Suzana.Konjevoda@gmail.com Feridun Cahit Tanyel Department of Paediatric Surgery, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. Feridun.Tanyel@gmail.com Francesco Burzotta Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari– CUORE, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy. FrancescoBurzotta@gmail.com Farhan Raza Khan Operative Dentistry & Endodontics, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Farhan.Khan@gmail.com Muhammad Ashar Malik Community Health Sciences, The Aga Khan University Faculty of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan. Muhammad.Malik@gmail.com Ahmet Alanay Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. Ahmet.Alanay@gmail.com Vedran Kovacic Division of Emergency and Intensive Medicine with Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Internal Medicine Department, University Hospital of Split, Split, Croatia. Vedran.Kovacic@gmail.com Daniela Hozbor Laboratorio VacSal, Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) La Plata, Argentina. Daniela.Hozbor@gmail.com Piotr Major 2nd Department of General Surgery, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland. Piotr.Major@gmail.com Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Vafa.Movaghar@gmail.com Mahdi Sharif-Alhoseini Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mahdi.Alhoseini@gmail.com Erkan Alpsoy Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Türkiye. Erkan.Alpsoy@gmail.com Rade Vukovic Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia “Dr Vukan Cupic”, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. Rade.Vukovic@gmail.com 2025 04 08 Introduction The term “scientist” lacks a universally accepted definition, reflecting the evolving, interdisciplinary nature of scientific work and posing challenges for recognition, communication, and policy. This study aims to develop consensus-based definitions of the term “scientist” by engaging experienced scholars across diverse fields. Methods This study involved 156 scholars, each with at least 1,000 citations, recruited via convenience sampling. Fourteen scientist definitions, derived from literature and expert input, were assessed using a nine-point Likert scale via a structured google forms survey. The sample size was calculated using G*power (effect size = 0.5, power = 0.95), requiring at least 80 participants. Content Validity Index (CVI) was used for analysis. Definitions scoring ≥0.78 were accepted and included for final analysis, 0.70–0.78 were revised and re-evaluated, and <0.70 were excluded. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, ensuring ethical compliance and confidentiality. Results Of the 14 proposed definitions, six (42.9%) were excluded (CVI < 0.70), seven (50.0%) were accepted (CVI > 0.78), and one (7.1%) underwent revision (CVI 0.70–0.78). The highest-rated definitions were refined into two consensus-based versions: a short definition (“A scientist is a person who conducts research”) and a detailed one emphasizing hypothesis formulation and knowledge dissemination. Final validation yielded CVIs of 0.82 and 0.84, respectively, confirming strong expert agreement on both definitions. Conclusion This study developed two validated definitions of “scientist” emphasizing systematic research and knowledge dissemination. These definitions clarify the concept of scientific identity, providing a flexible yet rigorous framework applicable across academic, interdisciplinary, and policy-making contexts.