scholarly journals The Usefulness of Data from Web of Science and Scopus Databases for Analyzing the State of a Scientific Discipline. The Case of Library and Information Science

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (2a) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Osiński

Purpose/Thesis: Many countries increasingly use bibliographic databases while devising new scientific policies to analyze and diagnose the state of a scientific discipline. Previous studies on the suitability of data from Web of Science and Scopus databases for this purpose gave ambiguous results. Their authors did not always account for an important issue – the quality of data from these databases. The aim of the article is to analyze the quality of data downloaded in an automated manner from the resources of the mentioned databases.Approach/Methods: The author used a qualitative method of data verification which consisted of automatic acquisition of data about journals from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, and then in their qualitative analysis. The analysis consisted of a comparison of data on journals repre­senting of library and information science (LIS) retrieved from both databases and of the comparison between the qualitative data taken from the studied databases and the data from other, domain focused bibliographic databases; of comparing the acquired data with the information available on the websites of indexed journals and of the comparison of the method used by the producers of the abovementioned databases used to classify the journals as related of LIS, with the thematic scope of the discipline, as agreed upon by scholars.Results and conclusions: It was found that in the case of the examined discipline, automated data acquiring poses a risk of obtaining a low credibility set of data. Most problems are caused by the incompleteness of data and errors in disciplinary classifying journals, articles and authors.Originality/Value: It was shown that, contrary to the claims of the decision-makers of Polish science, in its present form, the studied bibliographic databases have only negligible usefulness for monitoring the state and development tendencies of LIS. Methodological problems created by both databases, presented in this article, may also have an impact on generating a reliable and objective picture of other scientific disciplines. The changes in the sphere of the functioning of WoS and Scopus, apparent for several years, have not dealt with the already existing problems and inconveniences.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Mileidy Alvarez-Melgarejo ◽  
Martha L. Torres-Barreto

The bibliometric method has proven to be a powerful tool for the analysis of scientific publications, in such a way that allows rating the quality of the knowledge generating process, as well as its impact on firm´s environment. This article presents a comparison between two powerful bibliographic databases in terms of their coverage and the usefulness of their content. The comparison starts with a subject associated to the relationship between resources and capabilities. The outcomes show that the search results differ between both databases. The Web Of Science (WOS), has a greater coverage than SCOPUS has.  It also has a greater impact in terms of most cited authors and publications. The search results in the WOS yield articles from 2001, while Scopus yields articles from 1976, however, some of the latter are inconsistent with the topic being searched. The analysis points to a lack of studies regarding resources as foundations of firm´s capabilities; as a result, new research on this field is suggested.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Li ◽  
Chengzhi Zhang ◽  
Daqing He ◽  
Jia Tina Du

PurposeThrough a two-stage survey, this paper examines how researchers judge the quality of answers on ResearchGate Q&A, an academic social networking site.Design/methodology/approachIn the first-stage survey, 15 researchers from Library and Information Science (LIS) judged the quality of 157 answers to 15 questions and reported the criteria that they had used. The content of their reports was analyzed, and the results were merged with relevant criteria from the literature to form the second-stage survey questionnaire. This questionnaire was then completed by researchers recognized as accomplished at identifying high-quality LIS answers on ResearchGate Q&A.FindingsMost of the identified quality criteria for academic answers—such as relevance, completeness, and verifiability—have previously been found applicable to generic answers. The authors also found other criteria, such as comprehensiveness, the answerer's scholarship, and value-added. Providing opinions was found to be the most important criterion, followed by completeness and value-added.Originality/valueThe findings here show the importance of studying the quality of answers on academic social Q&A platforms and reveal unique considerations for the design of such systems.


2010 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ijaz Mairaj ◽  
Kanwal Ameen

The paper gives an account of undergraduate level library and information science education in Pakistan including independent certificate courses, an optional subject at intermediate and bachelor level, and bachelor program of Allama Iqbal Open University. The paper is based on the literature review and personal communications with selected professionals. There appeared gap in local literature regarding contemporary state of undergrad level education. The review of literature and senior professionals suggested that radical changes are necessary in policies, programs and curricula of different programs at undergraduate level to raise the quality of education.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Mufid Mufid

In the preparation of an effective research proposal in library and information science, a researcher needs to have a proposal writing strategy, and to understand of the ethical issues of research either through qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a guidance for a researcher about writing strategies that includes nine key elements of the arguments, the research proposal outlines, the effectively research proposal writing stages, and the ethical issues during the research. The ability of a researcher to choose a strategy, and to understand the ethical issues of research is very important. Its will determine the quality of research outputs


Author(s):  
Rosario Arquero Avilés ◽  
Gonzalo Marco Cuenca ◽  
Silvia Cobo Serrano ◽  
L. Fernando Ramos Simón

This chapter aims to provide guidelines to design, create, and develop a Community of Practice (CoP) on university library planning and project management courses, based on description of real experience within the framework of an educational innovation project on the Master course in “Documentation, Library, and Archive Management” (Complutense University). A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology (document analysis, brainstorming, case studies, group discussion sessions, and creation of a Master Catalogue of Values) was used by different members of the CoP: professors, researchers, university librarians, and students. This case study was found to advance means of establishing alliances and mergers between such players in the field of Library and Information Science and also a manner to encourage an enterprising culture among students in our expertise field. Furthermore, CoP has improved quality of University Libraries at Complutense University with a teaching dynamic that can be implemented in additional university courses related to Management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 120 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 426-450
Author(s):  
Brady Lund ◽  
Ting Wang

Purpose Considerable overlap exists between the disciplines of library and information science and museum studies. Exploiting the overlap and examining those areas were library/museum instruction courses diverge may provide valuable insights for how to improve the quality of these courses and better prepare students for instructional roles in both disciplines. Design/methodology/approach Word frequency and thematic analysis of the instructional course descriptions for all 52 American Library Association-accredited Master of Library and Information Science programs in the USA and 49 museum studies and affiliated (e.g. MA in anthropology with museum studies concentration) programs is performed. Findings Each discipline has some specific language to describe tasks specific to itself (e.g. museums), but these comprise a small percentage of the total language usage. Among other terms and themes, overlap occurs at a rate of about 50%. The remaining 35-45% of terms and themes reveal areas that are emphasized in only one discipline, but could be beneficial to incorporate in the curriculum/content in both disciplines. Research limitations/implications This research builds on a growing corpus of work demonstrating relations between museum studies and library and information science, and their status within a metadiscipline of information; this research presents a comparison of course content that may inform future curriculum/content development. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study of this type has been performed with museum studies courses, nor has a comparison between the two disciplines been investigated at this level.


2020 ◽  
pp. 016555152096104
Author(s):  
Alfonso Quarati ◽  
Juliana E Raffaghelli

Open research data (ORD) have been considered a driver of scientific transparency. However, data friction, as the phenomenon of data underutilisation for several causes, has also been pointed out. A factor often called into question for ORD low usage is the quality of the ORD and associated metadata. This work aims to illustrate the use of ORD, published by the Figshare scientific repository, concerning their scientific discipline, their type and compared with the quality of their metadata. Considering all the Figshare resources and carrying out a programmatic quality assessment of their metadata, our analysis highlighted two aspects. First, irrespective of the scientific domain considered, most ORD are under-used, but with exceptional cases which concentrate most researchers’ attention. Second, there was no evidence that the use of ORD is associated with good metadata publishing practices. These two findings opened to a reflection about the potential causes of such data friction.


2020 ◽  
pp. 096100062092193
Author(s):  
Nadeem Siddique ◽  
Shafiq Ur Rehman ◽  
Muhammad Ajmal Khan ◽  
Asif Altaf

This article reviews 62 years (1957–2018) of research in library and information science in Pakistan. A comprehensive bibliometric study was conducted using the four leading databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Library and Information Science Abstracts, and Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts). The researchers found a positive upward trend. Library research is on the rise in Pakistan. The Department of Information Management at the University of the Punjab is the major contributor to the library and information science literature. Forty percent of the total publications were published in two Pakistani journals. Older and well-established institutions like the University of the Punjab and the University of Karachi have taken the lead in publishing research. The Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces require more focus and funding.


Author(s):  
Mercy Mlay Komba ◽  
Edda Tandi Lwoga

The aim of this chapter is to assess the current state of application of systematic reviews (SRs) in library and information science (LIS) field and determine how information scientists can advance the SRs as a methodology. The literature shows that there is an increasing number of SRs in LIS although there are still knowledge gaps about the use of SRs as a methodology. The quality of reporting in primary studies in LIS is still poor, and hence, it becomes difficult to appraise the value of the study undertaken. In order to advance the use of SRs in LIS domain, it is important to introduce SRs in LIS education curricular, integrate SRs as part of the continuing scientist development programmes (CPD), use automated SR software to minimize workload, introduce SRs a formal role and service in the libraries, collaborate with research teams as co-authors to conduct SRs not only in the topics defined by research teams, but also in LIS topics, and create SR databases and tools in LIS.


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