A bibliometric study of library and information research in China

Abstract

Modelled on the studies carried out by Jarvelin and Vakkari in 1990 and 1993, a content analysis is presented of library and information science (LIS) research in China from 1985 to 1994. Three samples of articles are considered: 1,930 articles published in core LIS journals in 1985; 2,447 articles published in 1990; and 2,665 articles published in 1994. The largest groups of articles from each year addressed the basic theory of LIS (26%-32%) and information service (20%-25%). The most popular research strategies employed were historical method (19%-25%) and 'not applicable' (14%-16%), whereas the least popular strategies were experiments (0.2%-0.5%) and survey methods (1.6%-4%). The main difference is that LIS research in China during these years tended toward theoretical research, compared with applied research that is more evident throughout the rest of the world.