Indian gatekeepers of foreign journals: A preliminary analysis

CSIR-National Institute of Science Technology and Development Studies, New Delhi,

¹Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract:

In recent years, efforts have been made to quantify and measure various aspects of performance of a country by measuring both the quantity and quality of research. Recently, a new science indicator has been introduced of named as the “gatekeepers” or “members of editorial boards” to investigate the scientific/technological contribution of a country. The editorial boards of scientific journals play a crucial role in science by helping to guarantee the quality and relevance of the research eventually published. Besides, it can be assumed the presence on an editorial board of persons of a given nationality can influence the scientific output of their country, which could be made more visible. Until date, little explicit attention has been given to editorial board memberships of Indians despite such appointments being generally regarded as representing evidence of significant scholarship and research achievement by individual academics. The objective of this research is to contribute data on patterns of editorial board membership of Indian academics and journals. Specifically, we examine the composition and concentration of individuals on editorial boards in academic journals with high rankings. The study contributes to the best of our knowledge of Indian contribution in influencing the research at international level by means of gate-keeping.