A Comparison of Q Index Ranked Journals: Library and Information Science Productivity and Research Trends (2011-2020)

Abstract

Publishing in the prestigious research avenues is considerable important for the researchers and academicians. However, selecting the right journal to suit the research topic and quality of research is a tiresome task. Studying the nature of the research published in differently ranked journals is important to understand the difference of research and publication trends. This study aims to examine a differences and similarities of the research published in the Q1 and Q4 ranked Library and Information Science (LIS). A total 21,437 documents were selected from WoS Q1 and Q4 category LIS journals for this study. Then the data of Q1 and Q4 journals was separately accessed, analyzed and compared with different tool including MS Access, MS Excel, Gaphi, Biblioshiny, and VOS Viewer software. We found significant differences in the LIS research themes and publication trends between the Q1 and Q4 category publications. The Q1 journals are publishing on emerging bibliometrics, technology related topics like social media, information systems, machine learning etc., innovating practices and research. While, Q4 journals mostly publish about academic libraries, information seeking, literacy and behavioral research. Topical evaluation reveled citation analysis, bibliometrics, social media, innovation and collaboration as emerging topics in both Q1 and Q4 category journals but differ in terms of total publications order. This is the first study to the best knowledge or understanding by the authors to examining the similarities and differences in a Q1 and Q4 ranked LIS journals related to the research trends, publishing institution, individuals, countries, etc. It also identifies and compares the Q1 and Q4 journal's major research topics, topical evolution over years, most citied research themes that can also be considered a novel contribution to the field. This study provides a holistic overview of topical evolution and emerging research foci for the LIS researchers, especially early career researchers, academicians, and research students to make right decisions for research topic, publication avenues, collaborators, and potential areas of interest to attract research grants. This method of comparing category-based research trends can assist library practitioners working for research support and information literacy to assist their users in the selection of topics for potential publications and publication avenues to create impact.

Status of open access scholarly journal publishing in Pakistan

“…He explored that Pakistan had 201 (77%) OA journals and DOAJ (2022) had registered 94 OA journals originating from Pakistan. Qutab (2012) identified that Pakistan had 135 full-text OA journals. However, my study explored 297 (90%) OA scholarly journals in Pakistan.…”

“…The reviewed literature confirmed that there have been several studies carried out worldwide on the status of OA scholarly journal publishing. From a Pakistani perspective, a few studies on a smaller scale (Qutab, 2012;Sheikh, 2017Sheikh, , 2020 were conducted. Hence, there was a potential gap in the existing literature which motivated the researcher to explore the current status of OA scholarly journal publishing in Pakistan.…”

“…Globally, a good number of studies were conducted to find out the status of OA scholarly journal publishing. From a Pakistani perspective, a few studies on a smaller scale (Qutab, 2012;Sheikh, 2017Sheikh, , 2020 were conducted but no comprehensive study was available that might describe the current status of OA scholarly journal publishing in Pakistan. Hence, there was a gap in the literature that was required to be filled.…”

A mapping review of literature on Blockchain usage by libraries: Challenges and opportunities

“…Technology has undoubtedly impacted every sphere of life (Al Qalhati et al, 2020; Murphy and Newport, 2021; Tabatabaei and Gui, 2011), and libraries are no exception (Bayani et al, 2017; Merkulova, 2021; Qutab et al, 2014; Ramzan et al, 2021). Libraries of today are more technology-oriented than ever before regarding their resources, operations, services, and physical spaces.…”

“…The technology savvy library users hold high expectations from the libraries comparing with other information and technology provider competitors. Consequently, libraries must continually explore new technologies to cater to the emerging needs of their users and to ensure continuation of efficient operations and services (Goswami and Pandya, 2019; Onuoha et al, 2019; Qutab et al, 2014; Seal, 2015). However, libraries are challenged by limitation of financial share and access to resources that eventually may impact the library operations and services.…”