A Systematic Content Analysis of Publications in the TSSCI Journals for Exploring Research Trends in Library and Information Science from 2015 to 2019 in Taiwan

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the research trends in library and information science in the selected TSSCI (Taiwan Social Science Citation Index) journals including Journal of Educational Media & Library sciences, Journal of Library and Information Studies, and Journal of Library and Information Science Research. The publications from 2015 to 2019 were conducted with systematic content analysis. Three indicators for the coding scheme were (1) sample, (2) methodology, and (3) topic. The results showed that, in addition to focusing on literature and documents, the studies tended to choose users as research sample (e.g., librarians, adults, or students). Although the amount of quantitative studies have increased by years, the usage of experimental methods were relatively rare, as well as qualitative research and literature review research decreased every year. The three topics which have drawn scholars’ attention were (1) information service and user studies, (2) digital archive and e-learning studies, and (3) information and knowledge organization. Based on the findings of this studies, several directions for future work on library and information science were proposed.

Keywords

• library and information science
• literature review
• content analysis
• information service
• information organization
• e-learning