Odisha's scholarly contributions through electronic theses and dissertations in the Shodhganga repository: A study

The research productivity of Odisha universities as captured in Shodh Ganga, the country-wide repository of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) in India, is investigated in this study. A total of thirty-five only thirteen universities are reflecting in Shodh Ganga. Out of them only one central university and twelve are state university. The study reveals that Utkal University is at the top with 5,636 submissions, followed by Sambalpur University and Ravenshaw University. The examination identifies a heavy research presence within the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Life Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, and Engineering domains. Importantly, Social Sciences account for most of the research produced across the institutions. The research brings to the forefront a positive increase in ETD submissions until 2009, a marginal drop until 2019, and a steep fall from 2019 to 2023. English is still the most dominant language of submissions, while Odia-English bilingual documents holding a minority status. According to departmental contribution is most from Sambalpur University with 65 departments including the keyword analysis also brings to the fore the dominance of Social Sciences and interdisciplinary research in the region. This research offers insightful information on the trends in research and academic activity of Odisha's universities within the national ETD context.