Scientometric profile of 'genetics and heredity' research in India.

An analysis of 2899 papers published by Indian scientists during 1991-2008 and indexed by Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) indicates that the growth of publication output was slow in the initial stages, which started increasing after 2000. The highest output was in the sub-field of molecular genetics. The organisms which received the maximum priority were humans, plants, and animals. A significant proportion of papers were published in journals that originated from the advanced countries of the West and in journals with impact factor >1. About 47% papers were cited more than 5 times. Academic institutions contributed the highest number of papers but had less impact as compared to other performing sectors. The papers published by Indian Council of Agriculture Research had the lowest impact. Among the institutions, Madras University had the highest impact, while Indian Veterinary Research Institute had the lowest impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]