Gender differences in research output among university faculty in North America

PurposeThe field of library and information sciences (LIS) is crucial to our educational system. Across the globe, the LIS systems operate at varying levels and rates of efficiency. One of the developing nations is Pakistan, which has LIS systems in all of its colleges, universities and schools. This multimethod study aims to identify and quantify elements that are detrimental to LIS progress as well as evaluate the faculty and infrastructure profiles of universities that offer LIS undergraduate and graduate level programmes.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from the study's participants, who were mainly LIS professionals and faculty at 17 different universities, using survey questionnaires and in-person interviews. This study used a descriptive survey methodology, gathering information through a Google Survey and filling it out with a premade survey proforma. The survey responses were examined using content analysis. The development of LIS instructional and scholarly output is influenced by a variety of factors, which were investigated using a generalized linear model (GLM). To determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in opinion between faculty members and working professionals, as well as between men and women, the outcomes of an independent sample t-test were examined.FindingsAccording to our data, the factors that have the biggest impact on the caliber and output of LIS research are “poor writing skills” (3.43), “lack of journal publication fees” (3.51) and “lack of research skills” (3.78). The top GLM model identified poor writing skills, a lack of publication fees and a lack of research expertise as bottleneck characteristics for producing high-quality LIS research. The aforementioned factors were 3.62, 2.41 and 2.19 times more significant than the average factor, respectively, to put it another way.Originality/valueThis study’s analysis revealed that there is no real distinction between the two groups' viewpoints. The results of this study can be applied to problems and challenges associated with LIS education in Pakistani educational institutions.

The present communication attempts to trace the research trends in library and information science (LIS) carried out by the researchers in Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (TMV), department of LIS. It presents the analysis of thesis/dissertations submitted by research scholars for getting degrees of M.Phil. and Ph.D. during the academic period 2008–2018. During this period, 168 thesis/dissertations have been submitted by research scholars of M.Phil. and Ph.D and 160 have been accepted by Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune. The analysis mainly focused on the productivity of research output, subject areas represented, type of libraries covered and gender-wise analysis of the research students, etc. The research topics undertaken during the period included areas like information science, academic libraries, library management, ICT, use, user studies, etc. The research output indicates the growth in the doctoral research in LIS of this Vidyapeeth. The research data gathered has been analysed systematically and presented under different heads like chronological distribution, subject-wise analysis, guide-wise analysis and it also reflects the emerging trends/areas in the field of library and information sciences. The research findings indicate the current research trends in TMV, which covers areas like IT applications, digitization, preservation and conservation of literature, disaster management, internet resources, bibliometrics, institutional repositories, etc. This study may be useful to the research scholars and guides in planning and selecting the topics for the research in library and information science. The efforts made by the department of LIS, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth in bringing out the research environment are also traced systematically. The objective of this communication is to assess the research output of TMV, Department of LIS. Keywords : LIS research, evaluation of research studies, M.Phil. dissertations, Ph.D. Thesis, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, research analysis Cite this Article Khandare Dhanishtha S. Research Output of Department of Library and Information Science, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune. Journal of Advancements in Library Sciences. 20 20 ; 7 (20-27p).

PurposeThis study aims to find out the India’s research contribution to world Library and Information Science (LIS) literature from 2011 to 2020. Attempt has been made to reflect both the number of research articles published by the Indian LIS researchers during the past decade and the percentage share of Indian LIS researchers to the world LIS literature. Attempt has also been made to reflect the 20 leading LIS researchers from India, 20 leading LIS journals in which Indian LIS researchers mostly prefer to publish their research results and leading LIS research institutions and more.Design/methodology/approachThe scope of the study is limited to library and information research undertaken across the world in general and India in particular during the past decade, viz., 2011–20. To undertake the present study, data were retrieved from SCOPUS data source. The data were retrieved keeping in view the objectives of the study; accordingly, key words were framed and used to search the relevant data.FindingsOverall 77,659 research articles were published in the subject discipline of LIS across the world during the past decade, viz., 2011 through 2020. During the period of study, LIS researchers from India contributed 3,562 research articles constituting 4.59% of the total global LIS research output. The USA emerged the leading LIS research country with 33.03% research contribution, while India emerged as the fifth largest LIS research country in the world. A total of 12.85% research articles from India were contributed by 20 leading researchers. Only two LIS research journals from India were found indexed in the SCOPUS, in which 18.10% research articles were published by Indian LIS researchers during the period of study. More than 80% research results produced by Indian LIS researchers were published in foreign LIS research journals, mostly published from the USA and the UK. A good lot of Indian LIS researchers prefer to publish their research results in open access research journals. Library professionals, teachers and scholars from University of Delhi and University of Kashmir were found more active in LIS research in India.Research limitations/implicationsIndia is one of the world’s popular LIS academic, research and practicing country and has more responsibility toward world LIS research, whereby India, apart from fulfilling its own LIS research requirements, has to meet out the global LIS research demand. Thereon, if it lacks on research front, which otherwise acts as a backbone in the survival of a subject discipline, the survival of subject discipline may become difficult.Social implicationsIndia is one of the most progressive LIS research countries in the world and is about to play a far greater role in propagating newer and modern library practices and services in the years to come.Originality/valueQuantification of research output at regional level or country level is very common among LIS professionals; accordingly, the existing study adds to existing world LIS literature about the India’s contribution to world LIS research during the past decade.

PurposeFirst, to assess the status of the job market for library and information science (LIS) professionals in Kenya and the adequacy of current curricula and training resources in LIS training institutions in the country. Secondly, to identify priority areas of training and critical IT skills required by LIS professionals in relation to current job market and performance requirements.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey research design data was collected from various categories of LIS stakeholders: students, lecturers, professionals and employers. In total 110 subjects were selected for this study using various sampling techniques and a response rate of 76.4 per cent was achieved. Questionnaires with closed and open‐ended questions were used to collect data. This was a descriptive study and therefore descriptive statistics were used.FindingsA job market for LIS professionals in Kenya is perceived to exist. However, there is a general observation that the current LIS training programmes in the country do not sufficiently address current job market requirements due to: inadequate teaching resources in LIS training institutions; lack of adequate ICT content in the courses; courses that are irrelevant to the job market and inadequate length of industrial attachment.Practical implicationsThe paper recommends review of the current LIS curricula in Kenya in order to enhance the suitability of graduates to the current labour market. This includes integration of modern ICT into training, recruitment of qualified teaching staff, ensuring adequate learning resources and facilities, and enhancement of industrial attachment.Originality/valueThe paper investigates some of the critical issues that planners of library and information science courses have to consider in the 21st century. These issues include: the emergence of the “information society”, the multidisciplinary heritage of LIS education, the choice between liberal vis‐à‐vis technical education, the emergence of the concept of digital library, and finally the need for thorough management and leadership competencies. These issues are part of the current discourse on LIS training in the sub‐Saharan Africa where communities are in transition to the “information economy”.

A review of the research trends in library and information science (LIS) is important as it provides insight into the research practices of scholars in the field. This study investigated the research trends in master’s and doctoral research outputs relating to LIS produced in Nigeria and South Africa between 2009 and 2015 to identify the most researched subject areas and the most neglected subject areas in LIS research in the two countries. A total of 400 master’s and doctoral research outputs produced in Nigeria and South Africa were analysed by means of a qualitative content analysis, and 15 research areas were created by means of modified subject categorisation adopted from the extant literature. The findings were that the most researched subject area in both countries was human information behavior in respect of both master’s and doctoral research outputs. The least researched areas in LIS research outputs in Nigeria were archives and records management, LIS history and developments, bibliometrics, scientometrics and informatics, knowledge and information resource management. In South Africa, bibliometrics, scientometrics and informatics were the least researched areas in respect of doctoral research outputs, and LIS education and pedagogy were the least researched areas in master’s research outputs. The positivist research paradigm was more prevalent. The implication of the findings is that LIS schools in Nigeria and South Africa need to focus more on research areas that deal with current trends and challenges confronting the profession. In today’s world of work, most services are driven by information technology and research should be directed towards addressing the implementation of recent trends in the profession. Since the sample framework used for Nigeria was low, it may not be appropriate to generalise this finding to other institutions.

This paper is based on a bibliometric analysis of Library and Information Science (LIS) research publications in India. The data for the period 1951-2010 was extracted from the Science Citation Index (SCI) and grouped into six blocks each covering a period of ten years. Apart from papers, the present study also touched upon production of Ph.Ds in library and information science in India. The average annual growth of Ph.Ds is 31.05% in the total span of sixty years, whereas average annual growth was found to be 26.07% in the same period. Information centres contributed 6% of total LIS research output whereas highest contribution (34%) was made by LIS professionals working in technical institutions. Over 50% papers were of single authorship. The low productivity and quality of research output in library and information science is also discussed.

This study sought to investigate the impact of COVID-19-induced flexible work arrangements (FWAs) on gender differences in research outputs during COVID-19. A mixed research methodology was used, focusing on higher learning institutions in Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling was applied to select 250 researchers from the 21 registered universities in Zimbabwe. The study’s findings revealed that institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe did not provide the necessary affordances to enable both male and female academics to work from home effectively. The study also established that FWAs were preferred and appreciated by both male and female academics. However, whilst both male and female academics performed their teaching responsibilities without incident, unlike males, females struggled to find time for research, thus affecting professional growth and development negatively for female academics. Cultural traditions were found to subordinate females to domestic and caregiving responsibilities unrelated to their professions. The findings raise questions on the feasibility of the much-recommended FWAs for future work on female academics’ research careers. Thus, without the necessary systems and processes to support female researchers, FWAs can only widen the gender gap in research outputs. This study contributes to the Zimbabwean higher learning institutions’ perspective on how FWAs’ policies and practices could be re-configured to assist female researchers in enhancing their research outputs as well as their career growth.

Gender Disparity in Chest Radiology in North America

PurposeData science is a relatively new field which has gained considerable attention in recent years. This new field requires a wide range of knowledge and skills from different disciplines including mathematics and statistics, computer science and information science. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the study that explored the field of data science from the library and information science (LIS) perspective.Design/methodology/approachAnalysis of research publications on data science was made on the basis of papers published in the Web of Science database. The following research questions were proposed: What are the main tendencies in publication years, document types, countries of origin, source titles, authors of publications, affiliations of the article authors and the most cited articles related to data science in the field of LIS? What are the main themes discussed in the publications from the LIS perspective?FindingsThe highest contribution to data science comes from the computer science research community. The contribution of information science and library science community is quite small. However, there has been continuous increase in articles from the year 2015. The main document types are journal articles, followed by conference proceedings and editorial material. The top three journals that publish data science papers from the LIS perspective are the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, the International Journal of Information Management and the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology. The top five countries publishing are USA, China, England, Australia and India. The most cited article has got 112 citations. The analysis revealed that the data science field is quite interdisciplinary by nature. In addition to the field of LIS the papers belonged to several other research areas. The reviewed articles belonged to the six broad categories: data science education and training; knowledge and skills of the data professional; the role of libraries and librarians in the data science movement; tools, techniques and applications of data science; data science from the knowledge management perspective; and data science from the perspective of health sciences.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this research are that this study only analyzed research papers in the Web of Science database and therefore only covers a certain amount of scientific papers published in the field of LIS. In addition, only publications with the term “data science” in the topic area of the Web of Science database were analyzed. Therefore, several relevant studies are not discussed in this paper that are not reflected in the Web of Science database or were related to other keywords such as “e-science,” “e-research,” “data service,” “data curation” or “research data management.”Originality/valueThe field of data science has not been explored using bibliographic analysis of publications from the perspective of the LIS. This paper helps to better understand the field of data science and the perspectives for information professionals.

This study investigated the external contributors of library and information science (LIS) knowledge who were unaffiliated with LIS-related institutions but published their research results in LIS journals. Differences between the contributors to library science (LS) and contributors to information science (IS) were considered. Articles published in 39 strongly LIS-oriented journals indexed in the Web of Science database between 2005 and 2014 were analyzed. The results demonstrated that 46.5% of the LIS articles were written by at least one non-LIS author; authors’ backgrounds ranged across 29 disciplines. An increasing trend was observed in degrees of interdisciplinarity of LS and IS. An increase in proportion of articles by LIS and non-LIS authors was identified in LS and IS as well. Those with medical backgrounds were the primary non-LIS authors contributing to the LS field and collaborated the most frequently with LIS authors. Those with computer science backgrounds were the most prevalent non-LIS contributors to the IS field and preferred to publish individually. A critical difference was also identified in research topics between LS and IS. The foundations of LIS and scientometrics were the largest research topics in LS and IS, respectively.

Library and Information Science Doctoral Research Appears to be Showing Less and Less Interest in Library Topics, and Concern among Practitioners May be Justified

The technological revolution paved the challenges for the library and information science (LIS) schools not only in India but also in the west. Responsibilities of LIS departments and teachers are increasing to produce best LIS professionals to lead the 21st century librarianship. The major responsibility of the LIS departments in India is to groom LIS students in the philosophy, knowledge, and professional values of librarianship, as practiced in libraries and in other contexts, and as guided by the vision of the 21st century librarianship. LIS education and training facilities in India are undergoing rapid changes. During the past 10 years, the number of library schools/departments has grown substantially, both for regular and distance education programmes. Reorientation has been common in most LIS departments, and review and revision in curriculum has also been noticed. The quality of LIS educators has also improved and research output is experiencing new dimensions. Increase in the use and access to information and communication technologies (ICT) for LIS education is now more evident. This paper discusses the challenges LIS education faces in the 21st century and how to make LIS education more relevant and effective.http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/djlit.27.5.136

Purpose This study aims to provide insight into Library and Information Science (LIS) research in India using scientometric approaches. Web of Science (WoS) and SCOPUS databases were used for data retrieval. The study examines productivity in terms of source types, gender distribution, document formats, authorship and other factors. In addition, this study sought to identify trends or patterns in the research preferences of LIS scientists through text analysis. Design/methodology/approach Data were downloaded from the WoS and Scopus databases over 22 years and analysed using VOSviewer, Orange, Biblioshiny and CRExplorer softwares. Findings The findings reveal that 5,692 out of the 9,384 documents in both databases underwent the final examination. In total, 466 different sources produced all of those papers. Author analysis revealed that 6,603 different authors authored 5,692 documents. There were 4,209 male and 1,063 female authors. Furthermore, India shares maximum collaborations with the USA and England. The spectrogram features nine significant peaks corresponding to Lotka’s, Bradford’s and similar laws. Text analysis revealed that Indian LIS researchers have consistently investigated open access and digital or open libraries. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study will provide readers with a better understanding of India’s contribution to LIS. In addition, the study will help academics identify research gaps and undiscovered areas in the Indian context that require further investigation. Originality/value Not many studies highlight Indian research trends and international collaboration in LIS. This study highlights research trends, collaboration and gender productivity in LIS. The most cited references and trending topics were also identified using reference publication year spectroscopy and text analysis techniques.

PurposeThis study seeks to establish and compare the research and publication patterns and output of academic librarians in Eastern Africa from 2000 to 2009 using informetric techniques.Design/methodology/approachThe study confined its scope to publications produced between 2000 and 2009. The informetric technique (through content analysis) was used as a research method. The documents that were sourced for content analysis were obtained from the LISA database, which is one of the largest abstract databases in the field of library and information science (LIS). Data were extracted using the names of the librarians obtained from various sources, including: the libraries' web sites, Europa World of Learning and Wikipedia.FindingsThe results reveal that the research visibility of academic librarians was insignificant; that publication of research findings over the period was minimal; that publications from university librarians and directors were also minimal; that most academic librarians preferred publishing individually; and that the most published authors come from Tanzania.Originality/valueFew informetric studies focus on research output of academic librarians in Africa, and also on LIS research in the continent. Furthermore, the library profession is not well understood by many (including the academic community) because people do not appreciate how qualified librarians are, or that their promotion can be linked to research. This study raises issues that relate to the research output and research visibility of university librarians.

This chapter provides a concise overview dealing with the theory and practice in Library and Information Science (LIS) research development in Asia-Oceania. It also provides the reader with an introduction to the sections and the individual chapters of the book. The field of LIS has experienced significant growth, both in the number of LIS schools and research outputs, in recent years in the region. As a professional field, both theory and practice are viewed as equally important for the development of the LIS discipline. In this book, both theoretical as well as practical work in LIS research in Asia-Oceania region is presented.