Rainer Willi Bussmann’s scholarly impact: A scientometric review

Abstract

Background: The article ascertains the intellectual legacy and impact of Rainer Willi Bussmann (RWB), an active ethnobotanist. It is a scientometric review intended to provide a tribute to the intellectual contributions he has made to Ethnobiology, and associated disciplines.

Methods: Bussmann’s various IDs were used to collect his publications from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and ResearchGate. He was also contacted (via email) for information on his life history and the scientific expeditions that he took. Personal experience of one of the authors (ZAM) was also used for describing Bussmann. The tools used for mapping were CRExplorer, VOSviewer and Perish or Publish.

Results: RWB developed scientific curiosity about plants at a very young age. His entire career has been characterized by seeking and creating opportunities in research, conservation and community service. The 1767 publications authored or co-authored by RWB were published in 369 different source titles. But 16.98% of his publications were published in ‘Ethnobotany of Mountain Regions – Ethnobotany of the Andes’ followed by 13.92% publications in ‘Ethnobotany of the Himalayas’. Out of the total publications (1767), 1200 (67.91%) are book chapters followed by Journal articles 274 (15.50%). Out of 1200 book chapters the maximum (966; 80.5%) were published in year 2020. He has collaborated with authors from 55 countries. It was found that titles of his publications are in 18 world languages, the prominent languages being English, Spanish and German.

Conclusion: Documentation and conservation of traditional knowledge is the theme around which RWBs research revolves. He has conducted numerous such studies in Bolivia, Peru, the Caucasus, and the Himalayas. Examination of keyword co-occurrence (text analysis of titles and abstracts) networks facilitated the identification of clusters, addressing subjects such as ethnobotany and documentation of traditional knowledge of Peru, Bolivia, Pakistan etc.