Exploring knowledge patterns of library and information science journals within the field: a citation analysis from 2009 to 2016

A substantial number of studies have examined the journal quality and ranked them using academic survey, scientometric indicator, or citation analysis. This study aims to investigate library and information science (LIS) journal impact from a different perspective: the knowledge contribution to peer journals in the LIS field. The data are selected from the SSCI and SCI databases by Thomson Reuters from 2009 to 2016. Based on the criterion that the journal has at least 6years of citation data, a total of 26 LIS-related journals were selected for this study. These journals are divided into four quadrants according to their knowledge impact on peer journals. This study not only uses social network analysis to investigate the citation patterns among the journals and rank the journals based on different structural characteristics in the network but also examines the formation of subfields through clustering analysis. The findings suggest research avenues for LIS scholars and journal editors, such as identifying research subgroups and formulating strategies for LIS journal development.