Spanish information science journals in web of science: bibliometric analysis and thematic evolution from 2015 to 2019

Abstract

Scientific journals are a fundamental instrument for the dissemination of research results. Spanish Library and Information Science (LIS) journals have achieved a prominent presence in international databases. By studying the articles published in them, it is possible to determine the thematic evolution of research in LIS, a subject on which few studies are available. The current work presents a bibliometric and thematic analysis of Spanish journals included in the Information Science and Library Science category of the Web of Science between 2015 and 2019. On the one hand, the production of the journals is identified and analyzed individually and as a group, according to the data available in the WoS Core Collection, considering the productivity of authors, citations, organizations, countries, and core publications. On the other hand, the production of journals as a whole is analyzed using SciMAT, an open-source software tool developed to perform science mapping analysis in a longitudinal framework by identifying research themes that have been the object of research during the period of analysis as well as their composition, relationship, and evolution. The results highlight the specialization of Spanish LIS journals in a series of topics that can be grouped into five main areas, in order of impor-tance: social networks and digital media, bibliometrics and scholarly communication, open access, open data and big data, libraries, and information and knowledge management. Likewise, these journals have opened up their thematic focus to other disciplines, among which Communication stands out prominently, as reflected in the established thematic categories. This study establishes a reference framework for researchers in the Information Science and Library Science area, making it possible to understand new relationships and research opportunities both inside and outside the original knowledge area.