Mapping Legal Scholarship: Co-Authorship and Thematic Landscapes

LIBRARY HERALD

Year : 2025, Volume : 63, Issue :3

First page :(344) Last page :(353)

Print ISSN : 0024-2292. Online ISSN : 0976-2469.

Article DOI : 10.5958/0976-2469.2025.00024.3

Chidananda M.1, Mallinath Kumbar2

1 Research Scholar, Dept of Studies in Library and Information Science, University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India

2 Former Professor and Chairman, Dept of Studies in Library and Information Science, University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India

Abstract

This study delves into the co-authorship networks and thematic trends in scholarly articles and books cited in the law theses submitted to the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. The research combines a co authorship analysis and thematic analysis using a dataset consisting of 6,298 research articles and 6,548 books from 98 law theses. The tools employed by the researchers include MS Excel, Zotero, and VOS Viewer. The results, however, unravel eminent authors and well-known themes in law, accentuating notable individuals, such as, D.D. Basu, M.P. Jain, Subhradipta Sarkar, and Justin W. Patchin. The thematic analysis highlights “Property” and “Convention” as the main recurring themes in both the articles and books in law. This study further highlights the magnitude of collaborative research in the field of legal studies and offers constructive insights into the transforming academic environment. It also emphasises the advantages of combining co-authorship with thematic analyses to achieve a better comprehension of how scholarly communication performs.

Keywords

Academic Publications; Law; Citation Analysis; Co authorship; Key themes.