The evaluation of the biogas research: A scientometric approach

Abstract

The present study explores the characteristics of the literature on the biogas published during the last three decades based on the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and its implications using the scientometric techniques. The results of this study reveal that the research output on the biogas and the citations received have grown exponentially during this period especially during the last decade with paralleling enormous changes in the research landscape. India, the US, and Germany have been the three most prolific countries. The "Indian Inst Technol" of India has been the most prolific institution and "Angelidaki I" of Denmark has been the most prolific author. "Bioresource Technology" has been the most prolific journal whilst "Engineering" has been the most prolific subject area. "H-index" was 70 and a paper on the pseudo-second order model for sorption processes has had the highest impact on the literature with 1,673 citations. The scientometric analysis has a great potential to gain valuable insights into the evolution of the research on the biogas, complementing the scientometric studies in the other fields of the renewable energies such as biofuels and higher education providing a unique insight on the incentive structures for all the key stakeholders in the field.