Abstract
Statistical methods are crucial for research studies in LIS to reach, analyze, and critique results. The current study aims to investigate the use of statistical methods in the Arab literature in LIS, provide a comprehensive review of commonly used statistical methods, and reveal the variables affecting the use of statistical methods. Research papers published in the eight Arab journals from January 2014 to December 2018 were investigated according to three categories of variables related to characteristics of article, author, and research methodologies. Statistical methods were classified into four categories: descriptive methods, parametric inferential methods, nonparametric inferential methods, and predictive methods. The total usage of statistical methods reached 1037 times. Descriptive statistical methods were the most commonly used, followed distantly by predictive statistical methods. Frequency distributions and percentages were used in most quantitative studies. While t-test and ANOVA were the most parametric methods used, Chi-squared was the most non-parametric method used. Most of the studied variables influence the Arab researchers' choice of the category of statistical methods used in their research in LIS. Besides, the author's characteristics are the most influential variables in the use of statistical methods, followed by the research methodology, while the effect of article characteristics is less.
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Notes
Al-Muqtataf ‘The Digest’ It was an Arabic journal of popular science. The journal was published monthly from 1876 to 1952 in Beirut and Cairo with a total of 121 issues. Along with Al-Manar ‘The Lighthouse’ and Al-Hilal ‘The Crescent’, it was one of the Arab world's three most popular journals in the early twentieth century.
Arabic literature of LIS reached 39,137 publications according HumanIndex of Dar AlMandumah, which covers Arabic literature in humanities since 1927 until now, by searching for the terms of “library” and “information” in the subject field.
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Appendix
Appendix
ID | Journal title | Transliteration | ISSN | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Annual of Library and Information | hwliat almaktabat walmelwmat | 1858–7828 | Less than 5 years |
2 | Arab Journal for Archives, Documentation & Information | almajalat alearabiat lil'arshif waltawthiq walmelwmat | 0330–6763 | Less than 5 years |
3 | Arab Journal of Information | almajalat alearabiat lilmaelumat | 0330–7972 | Stopped |
4 | Arab Journal of Information Studies | almajalat alearabiat lildirasat almaelumatia | 1658–6131 | irregular (2016 Not Available) |
5 | Arab Journal of Libraries and Information | majalat almaktabat walmelwmat alearabia | – | Full Text not available online |
6 | Arabic 3000 | alarabia 3000 | – | Stopped |
7 | Arabic Documents | alwathayiq alearabia | – | Stopped |
8 | Arabic Publisher | alnnashir alearabiu | – | Stopped |
9 | Arabic studies in library and information science | dirasat earabiat fi almaktabat waealam almaelumat | 1110–8134 | Stopped |
10 | Conditions of knowledge | ahwal almaerifa | – | Non-refereed |
11 | Cybrarians Journal | – | 1687–2215 | Included in the study |
12 | Egyptian Journal of Information—Compunet | almajalat almisriat lilmaelumat—Compunet | – | Less than 5 years |
13 | E-Ti: Electronic Journal of Information Technology | – | 1114–8802 | LIS is not the main focus |
14 | Ialam | – | 1658–3779 | Included in the study |
15 | International Arab Journal of e-Technology | – | 1997–6364 | LIS is not the main focus |
16 | International Arab Journal of Information Technology | – | 1683–3198 | LIS is not the main focus |
17 | International Journal of Library and Information Science | almajalat alduwaliat lieulum almaktabat walmelwmat | 2356–8003 | Included in the study |
18 | Iraqi Journal of Information | almajalat aleiraqiat lilmaelumat | 1024–5812 | Recent issue not available |
19 | Iraqi Journal of Information Technology | almajalat aleiraqiat litiknulujia almaelumat | 1994–8638 | LIS is not the main focus |
20 | Journal of Historical records | majalat dafatir tarikhia | – | Stopped |
21 | Journal of Informatics | majalat almaelumatia | 1658–1067 | Stopped |
22 | Journal of Information Studies | majalat dirasat almaelumat | 8561–4343 | Recent issue not available |
23 | Journal of Information Studies & Technology | majalat dirasat almaelumat waltiknulujia | 2616–4930 | Less than 5 years |
24 | Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Computing & Information Technology Sciences | majalat jamieat almalik eabdaleziz lilhasibat wataqniat almaelumat | 1658–6336 | Stopped |
25 | Journal of Libraries and Information | majalat almaktabat walmelwmat | – | Included in the study |
26 | Journal of Libraries and Information | majalat almaktabat walmelwmat | 1112–5098 | Stopped |
27 | Journal of Libraries, Information and Documentation in the Arab World | majalat almaktabat walmelwmat waltawthiq fi alealam alearabii | 2356–8909 | Stopped |
28 | Journal of manuscripts investigation | majalat tahqiq almakhtutat | – | LIS is not the main focus |
29 | Journal of Research in Library and Information Science | majalat bihawth fi eilm almaktabat walmelwmat | 2090–0988 | Included in the study |
30 | Journal of The Arab Center for Research & Studies in Library & Information Sciences | majalat almarkaz alearabii lilbihawth waldirasat fi eulum almaktabat walmelwmat | 2410–8324 | Included in the study |
31 | Journal of the Arab Library | majalat almaktabat alearabia | – | Stopped |
32 | Journal of the Arabic Manuscripts Institute | majalat maehad almakhtutat alearabia | 1110–2209 | LIS is not the main focus |
33 | King Fahd National Library Journal | majalat maktabat almalik fahd alwatania | 1319–4380 | Included in the study |
34 | Libraries now | almaktabat alan | – | Stopped |
35 | Libraries.Net | muktabat nit | – | Non-refereed |
36 | Library and Information Annual | hwliat almaktabat walmelwmat | – | Stopped |
37 | Libyan Journal of Libraries, Information and Archives | almajalat alliybiat lilmuktabat walmelwmat wal'arshif | – | Stopped |
38 | Maghrebian Journal of Documentation and Information | almajalat almagharibiat liltawthiq walmelwmat | 0330–9274 | Recent issue not available |
39 | al-fihrist Journal | Majallat al-fihrist | 1678–5184 | LIS is not the main focus |
40 | Modern trends in libraries and information | al-Ittijāhāt al-Ḥadīthah fī al-Maktabāt wa-al-Maʻlūmāt | 1110–8126 | Full Text not available online |
41 | Perspectives In International Librarianship | wujuhat nazar fi almaktabat alduwalia | 2219–8962 | Stopped |
42 | Review of Information & Communications Technology & Development in the Arab Region | nashrat tiknulujia almaelumat walaitisalat liltanmiat fi almintaqat alearabia | 1727–5474 | Stopped |
43 | Scientific Journal of Library, Documents and Information | almajalat aleilmiat lilmuktabat walwathayiq walmelwmat | 2636–2864 | Less than 5 years |
44 | The Jordanian Journal for Library and Information Science | almajalat al'urduniyat lilmuktabat walmelwmat | 2308–0981 | Included in the study |
45 | The record | Al Tasjeelah | 1658–2160 | Non-refereed |
46 | The world of manuscripts | ealim almakhtutat walnawadir | – | Stopped |
47 | UNESCO Journal of Information, Libraries and Archives | majalat alyunisku lilmaelumat walmuktabat wal'arshif | – | Stopped |
48 | World Book—4th Edition | ealim alkitab—al'iisdar alraabie | – | Non-refereed |
49 | World of Books | ealim alkutub | – | Stopped |
50 | World of Information, Libraries and Publishing | ealim almaelumat walmuktabat walnashr | – | Stopped |
51 | World of Libraries | ealim almaktabat | – | Stopped |
52 | World of the Book | ealim alkitab | – | Non-refereed |
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Ibrahim, B. Statistical methods used in Arabic journals of library and information science. Scientometrics 126, 4383–4416 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03913-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03913-2