Mapping the research output from Indian states

Abstract

India is now one of the major knowledge producers in the world, ranking among the top five coun-tries in total research output. The research output is contributed by various institutions located in different states and regions of the country. There are, however, no existing studies on the amount of research output contributed by each state. Therefore, in this study, we undertook a territorial mapping of research output from India at the level of different states. Research output data for the country for the last 20 years (2001–20) were obtained from the Web of Science database, and publications were tagged to different states based on the location of the affiliating institution of the publication. The results show that Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh are among the top contributors, in that order. Almost all major states showed an increase in absolute re-search output during 2001–20. However, in relative terms, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Punjab showed interesting growth patterns. Chandigarh and Puducherry had high total publications/gross state domestic product values. The analytical results of this study present useful quantitative measures of the research contributions of different states in India. Some probable reasons for the observed pat-terns and certain policy suggestions are also discussed in this study.