Measurement of Global Nursing Research Output: A Bibliometric Study (1996-2015)

Purpose: This study aims to examine the research output in the field of nursing at the global level during the last two decades, viz., for the period 1996-2015, with special reference to India. Some of the aspects examined include the research growth in nursing literature during the period of study, leading nursing research countries at the regional and global level, and citation analysis. Scope and Methodology: This study is global in nature, but emphasis has also been laid on India's research contribution in nursing at the global level. Aspects like regional contribution to the nursing research output have also been assessed. This study is purely based on secondary data retrieved from SCImago Journal and Country Rankings. The figures in the study are based on one particular database and are not exhaustive; hence they simply reflect a trend in nursing research at the global level. Findings: During the period 1996 through 2015, a total of 550,490 research articles were published across the world by 212 nation states at an average of 2,596 articles from each individual country. On average, during the period of study, the number of nursing research publications grew at the rate of 7.36% each year. North America has emerged as one of the leading nursing research continents of the world by publishing 218,614 research articles, constituting 39.71% of the global nursing research output. The U.S. and U.K. are the world's two leading nursing research countries, which contributed 193,819 and 61,730 research articles respectively, comprising a 35.21% and 11.21% share of global nursing research output. India and China, apart from being the two fastest growing nursing research countries, have the potential to meet the global human resource demand in the field of nursing, given the skilled and trained human resource both these countries possess in nursing. Social Implication: There is always a need to share working knowledge in some professions and nursing is one of them. There cannot be a better medium than linking practice with theory through the research medium. Metric studies in turn help to get a better idea about the amount of work done in any given field at the national and international level, thus identifying the need thereof to improve upon those areas where there is research lag.