Anatomy of Social Science Research Literature

This chapter evaluates the publication output and citation pattern of research papers in Social Sciences and Humanities based on the Science Direct Database, exclusively for the period 2006-2010. In addition to the analysis of trends in publication, the citation patterns and global publication profiles are emphasized. An extensive attempt has been also made to explore the strengths and weakness of different productive countries, affiliated organizations, and productive researchers considering their respective research productivity. The core findings indicate that the momentum in publication output has increased due to the growing participation of researchers in research and development activities, particularly in the area of social sciences at the global level and more identically in sub-fields such as: Lib. and Inf. Sc.; Sociology; Political Science; and Education.