Science mapping approach to critical reviewing of published literature on water quality indexing

Abstract

Water quality has always remained paramount when it comes to sustainable development. The most convenient method of determining the health of a particular water body is through water quality indexing. Based on the filtered 2049 articles published, the present review-based study was conducted for a science-based mapping to evaluate the research in the domain of water quality indexing until 2020. A three-stage sequential process; bibliometric examination, scientometric investigation, and qualitative valuation resulted in the identification of the most influential and productive journals, researchers, articles, and countries dynamic in the research field. Keyword analysis further revealed that groundwater quality assessment for drinking water has been the key focus of research among scholars. The scientometric analysis was followed by a qualitative discussion on the current topics of research; mainly categorized into four classes, i.e., specific indices, human intervention, performance assessment and emerging technologies, and also highlighting some of the significant research gaps. This was followed by presenting a research framework wherein, plausible future directives were proposed. This study thus provides a more comprehensive picture on the existing researches carried out in the domain of water quality indexing, identifying the primary gaps and thereby providing multi-disciplinary guidance for various researchers and practitioners linked to the current research to the future.

Keywords

• Water Quality Index
• Sustainability assessment
• Science-mapping
• Scientometrics
• Bibliometric analysis