Trends and patterns of citations in Public Administration Doctoral theses: A Bibliometric analysis of Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (2013-2022)

Abstract

The technique of citation analysis involves the process of collection and analysis & interpretation of citations given in various types of literature and thereby helps in the identification of significant sources of information, individuals, institutions and other aggregates of scientific activities. The most appropriate technique for the study is counting citations on the basis of their characteristics, subject, authorship pattern, chronological distributions, geographical distribution, etc. The study examined 36 Ph.D. theses submitted in the department of Public Administration, KUK, during the period 2013-2022. The information was collected from the website of Shodhganga. This Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis, and the data was presented in tabulated form. The study finds the most cited sources, authorship patterns and geographical distribution. Single-authored books accounted for 1206 (79.97%) of total citations, while single-authored journals contributed 711 (67.97%). Out of the total 4085 citations, 1508 (36.92%) citations were from books, followed by journals with 1046 (25.83%) citations. The highest No. of 833 Journals (79.63%) and 1287 books (85.34%) cited in Public Administration, those published from India. The first-ranked journal was “Economic and Political Weekly” with 122 (11.66%) citations. The second-ranked journal was “Indian Journal of Public Administration” with 105 (10.03%) citations. The study shows a considerable variability in the frequency of the citations over the years, where the maximum citations were found in the specific period 2012-15. Further, this research underscores the importance of the local source of information in the field of Public administration and also illustrates that the single-authorship pattern was commonly used.