Bibliometrics of global research output in land degradation

The present study makes a bibliometric analysis of 9450 papers published during 2009-2018 which were indexed by Science Citation Index core collection in the sub-discipline of land degradation research. Of the 9450 publications, 97% were journal articles and reviews. The pattern of output indicates a consistent growth of output of research publications. The study identified most prolific countries, institutions and authors and the impact of their output in terms of Citation per Paper (CPP) and Relative Citation Impact (RCI). The analysis of data indicates that USA topped the list of countries followed by Peoples Republic of China (PRC). However, the UK made the highest impact in terms of CPP and RCI. Among the institutions, Chinese Academy of Sciences was the most productive research institute. The study also identified highly cited authors and channels used for communicating research results. The study also indicates that a significant number of papers originated from European countries also. These countries and institutions also get more citations as compared to other countries.