Citation networks of Ibero-American journals of Library and Information Science in Scopus

Objective: The citation networks of the Ibero-American journals of library and information science (LIS) were analyzed, in order to distinguish their internal interrelationships within the scientific structure of the discipline in the region. Design/Methodology/Approach: A co-citation analysis of journals was carried out from the documents of 20 Ibero-American journals indexed in Scopus, from 1996 to 2017. Node clustering techniques were used to examine the predominant communities in the intellectual structure of the discipline. A strategic diagram was constructed based on betweenness and citation measures to classify the journals according to their interdisciplinarity and impact. Results/Discussion: The intellectual structure of LIS in Ibero-America has three main communities: the Portuguese-speaking, the Spanish, and the Latin American Spanish-speaking. The greatest co-citation relations are of internal type in the clusters. An inbreeding of the journals and their countries of origin is appreciated. The journals forming the core of the discipline are Ciencia da Informacao and El Profesional de la Informacion. It also highlights the mediating role played by the journal Investigacion Bibliotecologica to connect the three communities. Conclusions: There is evidence of a disciplinary fragmentation in the Ibero-American research on LIS, which is permeated by the language and geographical origin of the journals. Originality/Value: This study is an updated approach that shows the current state of the intellectual structure of LIS in Ibero-America, based on the citation relations of the journals in the region.