Scientometrics Analysis of Library and Information Science Literature on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in India 2015-2024
Abstract
The present study provides a detailed scientometric evaluation of 126,727 SDG-related LIS publications in India during the period 2015-2024 based on the data extracted from the OpenAlex database. It analyses the development of publications, citations, ollaborations and the distribution of topics among the SDGs. The study addresses the lack of large-scale, LIS-focused SDG assessment nationally. The results demonstrate that SDG-oriented LIS research has grown steadily over the past ten years. The RGR analysis indicates a continuous decrease of the proportional growth of both publications and citations, which is associated with a corresponding increase of the doubling time, indicating structural maturation of the research domain instead of accelerating expansion. Annual production dropped in 2024, but the total number of publications and citations continued to grow. This decline is likely caused by lag times in database indexing and partial coverage of recently published works.The Authorship Pattern and Citation Relationship quantify average citation impact by team size and indicate that larger collaborative teams have greater citation visibility. The SDG-wise distribution shows concentration in health, innovation, and governance-related SDGs, while some of the lower-output SDGs have comparatively high citation impact. Time-series predictions suggest a total of 25,257 publications by 2030, reflecting continued involvement in SDG-related LIS research. The results can help in planning research, strategies for collaboration and policy development in the sustainable knowledge ecosystem in India.