A bibliometric analysis and assessment of scientific studies trend on groundwater research in India during 1989–2020

• Published in: Arabian journal of geosciences Vol. 15; no. 16
• Main Authors: Gyanendra, Yumnam, Yumnam, Gyanajeet, Alam, Wazir, Singh, Ch. Ibohal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Arid zones; Aridity; Bibliographic coupling; Bibliometrics; Data search; Documents; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth science; Earth Sciences; Freshwater; Freshwater resources; Groundwater; Hot spots (geology); Human influences; Hydrodynamics; Inland water environment; Original Paper; Security; Water resources; Water security; India; Web of Science; Groundwater research; Bibliometric tools; India; Scholarly articles
• ISSN: 1866-7511; 1866-7538
• DOI: 10.1007/s12517-022-10707-0

Groundwater is a vital resource that accounts for around 30% of the world’s freshwater resources. In arid and semi-arid zones, the human dependency on groundwater is comparatively very high, and its quality significantly impacts human health. Both anthropogenic and natural factors have led to changes in hydrodynamics of groundwater resources and water security issues in various regions of the globe. Thus, the bibliometric search methods were conducted to assess the dynamics of “Groundwater Research” in India based on scientific literature published from 1989 to 2020. In this regard, the Web of Science Core Collection database has been used to extract the literature amounting to 3848 document types. Analysis and mapping of the searched data have been compiled using Microsoft Excel,
bibliometrix
R-Package Biblioshiny, BibExcel, HistCite and VOSviewer tools, which enabled to assess of the development of the literature, identification of documents types, most prolific authors, countries, institutions, highly cited articles, productive journals, bibliographic coupling, keywords and hotspot topics. The significant findings highlight that the number of research publications has increased significantly over the last few decades in India to promote groundwater scientific study and research. The study highlight that the research articles are the most preferred document type, and India’s collaboration in groundwater research is highest with the USA. The Journal of the Geological Society of India is the most preferred journal for research publication and the highest count of publication contributions from the Indian Institutes of Technologies. The present review study will assist institutions in providing the current “Groundwater Research” gap in the country and will facilitate the future productive research output in groundwater research.