Nanotechnology research output: bibliometric analysis with special reference to India

For the last few decades, nanotechnology has emerged as one of the key subject areas in which aggressive development is taking place. The multidisciplinary approach of nanotechnology has opened up a new sphere of research in warfare, engineering, medicine, physics, textile, energy, biology, chemistry, automobiles, agriculture, etc. It has influenced society in every walk of life. Realizing the potential of nanotechnology, the countries across the world have been spending massive amounts and aggressively initiating various programs in research and development of nanotechnology. In this study, efforts are being made to measure the nanotechnology research output published in the form of scholarly literature. The data, for the period of 2014 to 2018, were extracted from the Scopus abstract and citation database and analyzed by using bibliometric techniques. The findings show that China has surpassed the USA by producing more number of scholarly publications in the area of nanotechnology but indicated reservation while collaborating with other countries, whereas the USA has been the second-highest producer of nanotechnology research output and preferred as the most favored nation by other countries to collaborate with in the field of nanotechnology. India attained the third position with respect to nanotechnology publications but has low international collaboration and the quality of publications is also a concern. The findings also show the negative growth of nanotechnology research publications in recent years.