The Network Pattern of Journal Knowledge Transfer in Library and Information Science in China

Using the library and information science journals 2003-2012 in Nanjing University's Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index as data sources, the paper reveals the citation structure implied in these journals by applying social network analysis. Results show that, first, journal knowledge transfer activity in library and information science is frequent, and both the level of knowledge and discipline integration as well as the knowledge gap influenced knowledge transfer activity. According to the out-degree and in-degree, journals can be divided into three kinds. Second, based on professional bias and citation frequency, the knowledge transfer network can be divided into four blocks. With the change of discipline capacity and knowledge gap among journals, the "core-periphery" structure of the knowledge transfer network is getting weaker. Finally, regions of the knowledge transfer network evolved from a "weak-weak" subgroup to a "strong-weak" subgroup or a "weak-strong" subgroup and then move to a "strong-strong" subgroup.