A space-time investigation into the progress of doctoral research in library and information science (LIS) in India

The paper attempts space-time analysis of doctoral research program in Library and Information Science discipline in India during 1950–2017, classifying awarded theses at the zonal, state and university levels. For the purpose, India has been divided into six zones: Central, Eastern; North-Eastern; Northern; Southern, and Western; and by dividing the study period into sub-periods. LIS in India is a fast growing and innovating academic and research discipline. Progressing slowly during the early decades, doctoral research program got a momentum during the late 1980s to accelerate towards the closing years of the Twentieth Century. On the whole, during 1950–2017, a total of 2872 doctoral research degrees were awarded by 120 universities/institutes, giving an averages of about 24 theses per university and 43 theses per annum. Contributed by a variety of factors, there been an acceleration in speed with which doctoral research work progressed in LIS discipline over the decades in India. On an average, 197 theses per annum were awarded during 2010–17 in comparison to about 94 earlier during 2000–09, about 44 during 1990–99, and only about 11 during 1980–89. Among the six zones, Southern zone topped the list by contributing two-fifths of all theses awarded, while the reverse true for Northeastern zone, contributing only less then 5.0 per cent of the total. Among states, Tamil Nadu topped the list with 429 or about 15.0 per cent of total theses, and with Karnataka it shared more than one-fourth of the total theses awarded during 1950–2017. Among universities, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Karnatak Univesity, Dharwad, and Annamalai University, Coimbatore were the three top ranking university in order, contributing more than 100 theses each. The core of teaching and research in LIS discipline, which remained with universities located in North India especially University of Delhi, New Delhi, and Panjab University, Chandigarh in first two-three decades, moving through the universities in the Central India, has gradually shifted to South Indian universities during the last three decades. Keywords: LIS research, Doctoral research, LIS-India, PhD in Library and Information Science;