The Journal of Scientometric Research: A Statistical Outlook of the First Eleven Volumes of the Journal

Abstract

This study critically examines the publications that appeared in the inaugural eleven volumes of Journal of Scientometric Research (JSciRes). The journal publishes 324 research communications under ten categories along with 16 editorials and 60 book reviews. Analysis of research communications shows that diversity plays the pivotal role in the evolution of the journal. Diversity of not only contributing authors but also of citing authors and their institutional and geographical affiliations is quite high for the journal. Visualization of topics appeared in it and analysis of topical trends reveals that it covers almost the entire spectrum of scientometric and bibliometric research with a shift towards innovation and policy studies. As the field of scientometric study is changing very dynamically, it has been found that the journal has given preference to cover contemporary topics more aggressively to reach out to the community at large. Dedicated two Special issues on Latin America and Africa is a positive shift in this direction. Special thematic issues on contemporary topics and scholars publishing in them from North as well as South economies can address some of the imbalances and skewness observed. Moreover, engagement of prominent scholars as contributing authors or citers along with gradually increasing citation oeuvre of the journal ascertained scholarly authority of the journal. The journal, thus, has gradually been seen as an incubator of emerging ideas in its discipline despite having originated in Global south having poor geographies of research infrastructures.