Scientific research in the Indian subcontinent: selected trends and indicators 1973–2007 comparing Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with India, the local giant

As part of a research program to analyse research in Bangladesh we provide a comparison between research indicators related to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In this investigation we make use of Web of Science (WoS) data as well as Scopus data (using the SCImago website). Special attention is given to collaboration data and to the evolution of country h-indices. A comparison based on relative quality indicators shows that Sri Lanka is the best performer among these four countries. Such a result agrees with the ranking of these countries according to the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI).