Navigating the Knowledge Landscape: A Scientometrics Analysis of Research Productivity in Tamil Nadu in the post-COVID-19 period
Susan Babu, Senthamilselvi, A
Academia and Society, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2025.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6025/aas/2025/12/1/61-77
Link: https://www.dline.info/aas/fulltext/v12n1/aasv12n1_5.pdf
Abstract:
The study examines Tamil Nadu's scholarly output using Scopus data (n = 15,239
publications). Findings reveal a sharp decline in annual production following a
peak in 2020 (5,935 publications) to 321 in 2024, possibly reflecting postpandemic research slowdowns. Engineering, Agricultural and Biological
Sciences, and Medicine dominate subject-wise contributions, highlighting
applied, socio-economically relevant research. The most prolific author, Ganapathy, D. (79 papers), is not among the top cited, whereas Kumar, G. (70 papers)
leads in citations (13,468), illustrating that productivity does not guarantee
impact. Highly cited works include global collaborations, such as Klionsky et
al.'s Autophagy guidelines (1,209 citations), as well as locally relevant studies,
such as Sathish's materials research. Journal output is concentrated in
conference proceedings (e.g., Materials Today: Proceedings), suggesting a
culture of fast publishing. Regression analyses show that publication count
explains only ~10% of citation variance, confirming that impact depends on
factors beyond volume-such as author reputation (the h-index correlates
moderately with citations, r = 0.67), collaboration, and topic relevance.
National agencies, especially India's Department of Science and Technology,
are the primary funders. The state's h-index stands at 84. The study underscores
the need for balanced research evaluation, improved researcher disambiguation, and strategic publishing to enhance global visibility.