Research into different types of corona variants at the Genetic Analysis Laboratory in Chennai. | Photo credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
Research publications are widely used as a benchmark for scientific and technological progress. Analyzing trends in research also helps guide policy. A brief comparative study of the most researched topics in the Web of Science, a scientific publication database, over the past twenty years and the past five years, highlights the research focus of scientists in different countries.
The hit parade
‘Coronavirus’ was the most published research topic in the world over the past five years and the past twenty years. The sheer volume of articles on this topic demonstrates the ability of the global scientific community to produce relevant scientific knowledge that will help people respond quickly to a crisis.
‘Coronavirus’ was the most researched topic in India in the last five years and was among the top five research topics in the last two decades. It was the most published research topic in the US over the past five years and the past twenty years. But it was conspicuously absent from China’s top research topics. This is surprising for two reasons: the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first reported from this country in late 2019; and China, which has emerged as a global scientific superpower over the past two decades, has contributed an increasing share of the world’s articles on various research topics.
Chart 1 | The chart ranks the five topics under which the highest number of articles were published (2019-2023) in selected countries.
Diagram seems incomplete? Click to remove AMP mode
Some of the other topics being widely explored include deep learning and clean and green energy topics such as photocatalysis, supercapacitors, and oxygen reduction reactions. Deep learning refers to a class of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms characterized by the use of multiple “layers,” with each layer transforming and/or manipulating input data in specific ways. Engineers have built facial recognition on phones, speech recognition in digital assistants, and recommendation engines on streaming services using deep learning.
The focus on AI-related research worldwide corresponds with the increasing importance of AI technologies in various sectors. Chinese researchers have produced more than twice as many papers on the topic of AI as researchers in the US, and more than 45% of the world’s research output on the topic in the past five years. India’s share remains low, even though the topic is among the top five in the country.
Photocatalysis refers to the acceleration of chemical reactions using light. Scientists study it to create new materials and generate clean energy; a particularly important contemporary area of focus is green hydrogen. Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that capture and retain energy as an electrostatic charge. Conventional batteries, on the other hand, store chemical energy. Supercapacitors are super-powerful batteries that can store much more energy and release it faster. Their applications include electric vehicles, where fast charging is required, and the renewable energy sector. The oxygen reduction reaction is an important process in electrochemistry and plays a key role in next-generation energy conversion devices such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Research on these topics is apparently driven by researchers in China.
Comparison of US and China
Overall, China has focused significantly on high-impact technological areas and on the development of new materials. In contrast, the US appears to be facilitating a more diverse approach, addressing health and social well-being through research on topics such as parenting, human immunodeficiency virus, SARS-CoV-2 virus, gut microbiota and programmed cell division. death (PD-1). Research into PD-1 has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat cancer and other diseases by understanding and then manipulating the immune system’s response. The U.S. National Institute of Health provides more funding for life sciences and health research than any of the nation’s other civilian research funding agencies. American researchers are also paying attention to astronomy and astrophysics, presumably because they have better access to the data produced by NASA missions.
Chart 2 | The chart ranks the five topics under which the highest number of articles were published (2004-2023) in selected countries.
India’s nano focus
Most of India’s research output is focused on nanotechnology. In particular, nanofluids have applications in heat transfer; silver nanoparticles have applications in antimicrobial and anticancer therapy; and zinc oxide nanoparticles are essential semiconductor materials with applications in electronics, optoelectronics, ceramics and cosmetics.
The large number of articles on nanotechnology can be attributed at least in part to the success of the Nano Mission that the Indian government launched in 2007 with the aim of making the country a top destination for research on the subject. Other research focus areas include deep learning, photocatalysis and coronavirus.
India’s significant focus on nanotechnology is a sign of a concentrated allocation of resources in areas that may not directly address immediate healthcare or climate change needs – at least not yet. Policymakers can explore the agenda-setting process in Indian research or alternatively steer nanotechnology towards solutions more closely linked to India’s Sustainable Development Goals and energy transition goals.
Suryesh Kumar Namdeo is a Senior Research Analyst, Avinash Kumar is a Project Scientist and Moumita Koley is a Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Source: Web of Science
Also read: For Indian scientists, academic publishing has become a double-edged sword
