This document discusses trends in library and information science (LIS) research between 2017-2021. It analyzes research types and methodologies based on searches of three LIS databases. The key findings are: 1) LIS research has generally increased from 2017-2020 with a decrease in 2021 likely due to indexing delays; 2) Surveys/questionnaires are the most common research type with over 1,000 articles per year; 3) Observational research saw the greatest increase of 943%; and 4) Citation analysis saw the greatest decrease of 63%.

1. LIS Research Trends, 2017-2021
Teresa S. Welsh, Ph.D.
teresa.welsh@usm.edu

2. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
What is Research?
➢According to McClure & Herndon (1991),
“research is any conscious premeditated
inquiry …. any investigation that seeks to
increase one’s knowledge of a given situation.”
➢From Old & Middle French recercher - “to
seek”
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3. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Why is research important to LIS?
1. Understanding the research process is vital in order
to serve others who do research
2. Identifying & understanding patterns of collection
use improve ability to understand user needs and
behavior
3. “Learning to master theoretically and in practical
application, the ground rules of research creates the
best foundation for continuing growth in a
profession” (Busha & Harter, 1980).
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4. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Why is research important to LIS?
4. Resulting in “improved decision making, more
knowledgeable insights into a wealth of library
issues, better and more accountable services and
programs, the continued maturation of LIS as a
discipline/profession” (Hernon & Schwartz, 1995).
5. Conducting, presenting and/or publishing research
can contribute to personal and professional
advancement.
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5. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Research Types: Argumentative vs Analytical
1. Argumentative research (Humanities)
➢ Thesis statement (has point of view)
➢ Builds a case for thesis in a persuasive manner
2. Analytical research (Social Sciences, Hard Sciences)
➢ Problem statement (objective)
➢ Research questions or hypotheses to investigate a
research problem in an objective manner.
(Purdue University Writing Lab, 2021)
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6. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Research Types: Qualitative vs Quantitative
1. Quals use methods such as historiography,
ethnography & qualitative sociology, investigating
themes in documents, observations, interviews to
build conclusions.
2. Quants are interested in finding patterns using
descriptive or inferential statistics.
3. Mixed methodology combines aspects of qualitative
and quantitative research methodology.
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7. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
LIS Research Trends: Methodology
Search strategy: key concept such as “Qualitative” in
Title field OR Subject descriptors field
In three LIS databases:
1. Library & Information Science Source (LISS)
2. Library, Info Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA)
3. Information Science & Technology Abstracts (ISTA)
Results limited to “peer-reviewed” articles published in
English, 2017-2021, in academic journals.
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8. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Research Assumptions
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➢ LIS databases are indexed accurately so that
relevant articles are retrieved
➢ Articles retrieved with key concepts and
appropriate limiters are representative of the body
of LIS research in general.

9. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
LIS Research Trends, 2017-2021
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Research Type in Title OR Subject Field
304
458
549
619
526
172
244 236
327
247
111
151
182
269 282
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
LIS Research
Qual Quant Mixed

10. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference, Khushal
Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
LIS Research: Survey/Questionnaire
➢ "the collection of information from a sample of
individuals through their responses to questions"
(Check & Schutt, 2012)
➢ “Information Needs and Seeking Behavior of
Paramedical Staff in the Hospitals of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan” by Sumera Akram and Dr.
Saeed Ullah Jan, Library Philosophy & Practice, 2021
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11. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
LIS Research: Survey/Questionnaire
“Survey or Questionnaire” in Title OR Subject field
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1,197
1,040
1,208
1,533
1,451
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Survey/Questionnaire

12. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference, Khushal
Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
LIS Research: Observational Study
➢ An observational study “involves a researcher
observing a subject without interference” (study.com,
2022)
➢ “Seek and You Shall Find? An Observational Study
of Music Students’ Library Catalog Search Behavior”
by J.C. Clark & K. Yeager, Journal of Academic
Librarianship, 2018.
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13. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
LIS Research: Observational Study
“Observational Study or Observational Research” in Title OR Subject
13
30
93
110
246
313
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Observational Study/Research

14. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
LIS Research: Bibliometric/Scientometric
Use of mathematical and statistical methods:
➢ to study and identify patterns in the usage of
materials and services within a library or
➢ to analyze the historical development of a specific
body of literature, especially its
authorship, publication, and use (Reitz, 2015)
➢ Scientometrics – “the quantitative study of
science and technology” (Brookes, 1990) or study of
scientific literature.
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15. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Bibliometric/Scientometric Productivity
➢ Study of publication pattern or productivity:
❖ Number of articles published per year on a particular topic
(publication trend over time)
❖ Core journals – in which journals are articles on a particular
topic published (Bradford’s Law)
❖ Authorship pattern such as most prolific authors on a given
topic (Lotka’s Law) or in a particular journal.
➢ “Literature of Pediatric Nursing: A Bibliometric
Analysis (2013 - 2017)” by Library Philosophy &
Practice, by J. Ramakrishnan & J. Selvamani, 2018
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16. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Bibliometric/Scientometric Productivity
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“Bibliometric or Scientometric or Productivity” in Title OR Subject
1,017
1,088
792
692
800
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Bibliometric/Scientometric Productivity

17. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Bibliometric Citation Analysis
➢ A measure of impact (JCR) or usage; implies a
relationship between the documents, “that area of
bibliometrics which deals with the study of these
relationships” (Smith, 1981)
➢ “Disciplinary Differences in Student Use of Library-
Provided Materials in Dissertations” by W.J. Thomas
& D. Shouse, Technical Services Quarterly, 2021.
➢ https://scholar.google.com/citations
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18. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Citation Analysis
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“Citation Analysis” in Title OR Subject Field
816
748
475
316
298
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Citation Analysis

19. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Altmetric Analysis
➢Altmetrics – “study of new metrics based on the
Social Web for analyzing and informing
scholarship” (altmetrics.org)
➢“Monitoring the Broader Impact of Journal
Publication Output on Institutional Level: A Case
Study for the University of Vienna” by J. Gorraiz
et al., Qualitative & Quantitative Methods in Libraries,
2018.
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20. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Altmetric Analysis
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“Altmetric or Altmetrics” in Title OR Subject Field
99
125
81
84 84
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Altmetric or Altmetrics

21. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Webmetric/Webometric/Web Analysis
➢ Webmetric/Webometric or Web Analysis – analyzes
Web content or impact/usage
➢ “Assessing Institution’s Footprint in Web 2.0: A
Comparative Analysis of University Library Websites
in Bangladesh” by S. Yesmin, Asian Journal of
Information Science & Technology (AJIST), 2018.
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22. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Webmetric/Webometric/Web Analysis
22
“Webmetric or Webometric or Web Analysis” in Title OR Subject Field
71 70
40
67
58
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Webmetric/Webometric/Web Analysis

23. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Collection Analysis/Assessment/Evaluation
➢ Collection assessment or evaluation - to determine
the extent to which it meets the library's service
goals and objectives and the information needs of its
clientele (ODLIS, 2021).
➢ “Lost But Not Forgotten? An Inventory and Use
Analysis of an Undergraduate Art Book Collection”
by S. Walker & J. Poggiali, Art Documentation: Bulletin
of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 2020.
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24. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Collection Analysis/Assessment/Evaluation
24
“Collection Analysis or Assessment or Evaluation” in Title OR Subject
17
27
23
25
31
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Collection Analysis/Assessment/Evaluation

25. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Spatial Analysis/Wayfinding
➢ Spatial analysis seeks to explain patterns of
human behavior and its spatial expression…. that
is, locational analysis
(https://researchguides.dartmouth.edu)
➢Wayfinding is the process of finding your way to
a destination in a familiar or unfamiliar setting
using any cues given by the environment.
➢“Comparing Different Methodologies Used in
Wayfinding Research in Library Facilities” by
L.H. Mandel, Qualitative & Quantitative Methods in
Libraries, 2020.
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26. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Spatial Analysis
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“Spatial Analysis or Wayfinding” in Title OR Subject Fields
33 33
36
37
21
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Spatial Analysis/Wayfinding

27. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Meta-Analysis
➢ Study of related, similar studies on the same
topic or that use the same methodology; can
identify trends of a large, well-developed body of
research.
➢“Smartphone Overuse and Visual Impairment in
Children and Young Adults: Systematic Review
and Meta-Analysis” by J. Wang et al., Journal of
Medical Internet Research, 2020.
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28. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Meta-Analysis
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“Meta-Analysis” in Title OR Subject Fields
121
105
347 352
189
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Meta-Analysis

29. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Conclusions
➢ General increase in LIS research from 2017-2020;
decrease in 2021 could be due to embargo of
articles/not all research articles indexed yet.
➢Highest number of LIS research articles - survey
or questionnaire (> 1,000 per year)
➢Greatest increase – observational research
(+943%)
➢Greatest decrease – citation analysis (-63%).
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30. Recent Trends in Academic Research International Conference,
Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, March 2022
Thank you for your attention.
This presentation as well as other presentations will be
available at
www.slideshare.net/drtwelsh/presentations
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