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A co-word analysis of library and information science in China

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Abstract

This study aims to reveal the intellectual structure of Library and Information Science (LIS) in China during the period 2008–2012 utilizing co-word analysis. The status and trends of LIS in China are achieved by measuring the correlation coefficient of selected keywords extracted from relevant journals in the Chinese Journal Full-Text Database. In co-word analysis, multivariate statistical analysis and social network analysis are applied to obtain 13 clusters of keywords, a two-dimensional map, centrality and density of clusters, a strategic diagram and a relation network. Based on these results, the following conclusions can be drawn: (i) LIS in China has some established and well-developed research topics; (ii) a few emerging topics have a great potential for development; and (iii), the research topics in this LIS field are largely decentralized as a whole, where there are many marginal and immature topics.

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Acknowledgments

This study is supported by the Project of High-level International Journals Paper for Cultivation of Wuhan University (2012GSP070), National Natural Science Foundation of China (71273197), MOE (Ministry of Education in China) Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (13YJC870008), and the Wuhan University Academic Development Plan Program of Scholars after 70s “Network User Behavior Research”.

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Correspondence to Ji-Ming Hu.

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Hu, CP., Hu, JM., Deng, SL. et al. A co-word analysis of library and information science in China. Scientometrics 97, 369–382 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1076-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1076-7

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