Research output of librarians in the field of library and information science in Nigeria: a bibliometric analysis from 2000-March, 2018
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/CC-04-2018-0012 |
| Published date | 01 July 2019 |
| Date | 01 July 2019 |
| Pages | 53-60 |
| Author | Chukwuma Clement Okeji |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Collection building & management |
Research output of librarians in the field of
library and information science in Nigeria:
a bibliometric analysis from 2000-March, 2018
Chukwuma Clement Okeji
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is to analyze the growth of academic librarians’research output in Nigeria; it examined their research
productivity and determined the authorship pattern and degree of collaboration.
Design/methodology/approach –A total of 1,106 articles were retrieved from Current index to Journals in Education and Library, Informa tion
Science and Technology Abstract databases for the period 2000-March 2018.
Findings –The study revealed that only few authors are productive in the field of Library and Information Science in Nigeria during the period under
study. The author productivity pattern is, therefore, in agreement with Lotka’s Law of inverse square. Top journals in which the academic librarians
in Nigeria publish their works were identified. Of the 153 recognized universities in Nigeria, the study revealed that only few universities are
productive. The years 2011 and 2012 recorded the highest contributions by the academic librarians. The findings also showed a high level of
teamwork with most publications being produced jointly.
Research limitations/implications –The limitation of this study is that it only retrieved articles that were indexed by Current index to Journals in
Education and Library, Information Science and Technology Abstract. Secondly, articles published by the academic librarians in local journals in
Nigeria that are not indexed and not visible are not included in the study.
Originality/value –The findings call for researchers in developing countries to recognize that it is important to publish a substantial number of
papers in journals that are indexed and are widely visible.
Keywords Nigeria, Universities, Bibliometrics, Library and information science, Research output, Academic librarians
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
To be competitive in the academicenvironment, librarians, like
other faculty members, have received more and more pressure
to do research and to show record of publications. Like other
universities worldwide, LIS academics such as the professors,
lecturers and academic librarians working in tertiary institutions,
especially universities, mustfulfill the research and publication
requirements for promotion and tenure (Baro and Ebhomeya,
2012). Pressure to publish, which has increased over recent
years, may cause some changes in the library literature, as
academic librarians strive to meet this requirement. The
number of publications an author has published is the first
criteria for assessing a researcher output. Bibliometric studies
are used to identify the pattern of publications, authorship,
citations and journal coverage with the hope to give an insight
into the dynamics of the field under consideration (Warraich
and Ahmad, 2011). As librarians, or information professionals,
bibliometrics is a useful research method for selecting useful journals
or evaluating authors.
Lotka’s law of bibliometrics is one of the earliest(traditional)
three most known bibliometric laws–Lotka’s Law, Bradford’s
Law and Zipf’s Law. Lotka’s Law, being one of the prime laws
of bibliometrics, is focused on the productivity activities of
authors in a specificfield of literature that anchored on
scientific productivity. The law states that “the number (of
authors) making ‘n’contributionsis about 1/n
2
of those making
one and the proportion of all contributors, that make a single
contribution, is about 60 percent”. This means that out of all
the authors in a given field, 60 per cent will have just one
publication and 15 per cent will have two publications (1/
2
2
times 60), 7 per cent of authors will have three publications
(1/3
3
times 60) and so on (Lotka, 1926 cited in Mishra et al.,
2012).
Generally, Lotka’slawis“inverse square law”which states
that for every 100 authors contributing one article, 25 will
contribute 2 articles,11 will contribute 3 articles and 6 will contribute
4 articles each (Lotka, 1926 cited in Mishra et al.,2012).
Basically, Lotka’s Law is on publication among authors and
shows that only a small number of authors in a given field are
highly productive. Publication count measures the total
number of published items, such as books, journal articles,
conference papers, etc., within a period. Publication count is,
therefore, a measure of the productivityof authors, institutions,
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9326.htm
Collection and Curation
38/3 (2019) 53–60
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 2514-9326]
[DOI 10.1108/CC-04-2018-0012]
Received 26 April 2018
Revised 21 June 2018
Accepted 2 July 2018
53
To continue reading
Request your trial