Mapping the literature on Indian knowledge system during 2004–2024: A bibliometric study of LENS.ORG database

Using data from the LENS.ORG database, this study provides a bibliometric analysis of scholastic research on the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) published between 2004 and 2024. The primary objectives were to investigate the applicability of Lotka’s Inverse Square Law to author productivity in IKS research, as well as to analyze annual publication trends, authorship patterns (including degree of collaboration (DC), collaborative coefficient (CC), and modified collaborative coefficient (MCC), and co-authorship networks among authors and countries. MS Excel, Biblioshiny, and VOSviewer were employed to analyze a total of 1,015 pertinent articles written by Indian researchers. The results indicate a consistent increase in the number of IKS publications over the past two decades, with a particular emphasis on multi-authored papers, particularly those with more than five authors. The strong collaborative culture in this discipline is suggested by the average DC (0.72), CC (0.50), and MCC (0.56) values. Active research clusters were revealed through the identification of prominent authors and their co-authorship link strengths. Nevertheless, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test revealed a substantial deviation from Lotka’s Law, suggesting that author productivity in IKS does not adhere to the classical inverse square distribution. This study addresses a void in systematic bibliometric evaluations of this domain by providing a comprehensive mapping of IKS research output, collaboration patterns, and authorship dynamics. It recommends the expansion of interdisciplinary collaborations, the exploration of marginalized thematic areas, and the enhancement of the integration of IKS in education and policy. Additionally, the sustained academic development and cultural revitalization of IKS scholarship could be facilitated by the enhanced dissemination and visibility of IKS scholarship through the use of digital platforms.