Weighted citation: An indicator of an article's prestige

We propose using the technique of weighted citation to measure an article's prestige. The technique allocates a different weight to each reference by taking into account the impact of citing journals and citation time intervals. Weighted citation captures prestige, whereas citation counts capture popularity. We compare the value variances for popularity and prestige for articles published in the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology from 1998 to 2007, and find that the majority have comparable status.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Using noun phrases extraction for the improvement of hybrid clustering with text- and citation-based components. The example of “Information Systems Research”

The hybrid clustering approach combining lexical and link-based similarities suffered for a long time from the different properties of the underlying networks. We propose a method based on noun phrase extraction using natural language processing to improve the measurement of the lexical component. Term shingles of different length are created form each of the extracted noun phrases. Hybrid networks are built based on weighted combination of the two types of similarities with seven different weights. We conclude that removing all single term shingles provides the best results at the level of computational feasibility, comparability with bibliographic coupling and also in a community detection application

A Bibliometric Analysis of Select Information Science Print and Electronic Journals in the 1990s

This paper examines three e-journals and one paper journal begun in the 1990s within the information science genre. In addition, these journals are compared to what is perhaps the leading information science journal, one that has been published continuously for fifty years. The journals we examine are CyberMetrics, Information Research, the Journal of Internet Cataloging, Libres, and the Journal of the American Society for Information Science. We find that there are a number of important differences among the journals. These include frequency of publication, publication size, number of authors, and the funding status of articles. We also find differences among journals for distributions of authors by gender and corporate authors by region. Some of the regional differences can be explained by journal maturation -- the more mature the journal the greater the dispersion. We also find that women are more likely to publish in the newer journals than in JASIS. The fact that a journal is or is not an e-journal does not appear to affect its presence or behaviour as an information science journal

Bibliometric studies on single journals: a review

This paper covers a total of 82 bibliometric studies on single journals (62 studies cover unique titles) published between 1998 and 2008 grouped into the following fields; Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (12 items); Medical and Health Sciences (19 items); Sciences and Technology (30 items) and Library and Information Sciences (21 items). Under each field the studies are described in accordance to their geographical location in the following order, United Kingdom, United States and Americana, Europe, Asia (India, Africa and Malaysia). For each study, elements described are (a) the journal’s publication characteristics and indexation information; (b) the objectives; (c) the sampling and bibliometric measures used; and (d) the results observed. A list of journal titles studied is appended. The results show that (a)bibliometric studies cover journals in various fields; (b) there are several revisits of some journals which are considered important; (c) Asian and African contributions is high (41.4 of total studies; 43.5 covering unique titles), United States (30.4 of total; 31.0 on unique titles), Europe (18.2 of total and 14.5 on unique titles) and the United Kingdom (10 of total and 11 on unique titles); (d) a high number of bibliometrists are Indians and as such coverage of Indian journals is high (28 of total studies; 30.6 of unique titles); and (e) the quality of the journals and their importance either nationally or internationally are inferred from their indexation status

Community Mapping 2.0: Using Technology to Raise Community Awareness

Community mapping can be an important tool for educators who aim to freely allow students to share their own connections and experiences. During community mapping, students identify areas within their own localities that matter to them, and engage in various literacy events centered on those places. Often, classes will study foreign lands and cultures during the course of a school year. While this is a wonderful learning opportunity, do they take the time to look deeper into their own personal neighborhoods and surroundings? This study uncovers the nuances of community mapping, as a group of third grade students work through the process together. Through their work, they were able to positively increase their local knowledge as well as gain a deeper understanding of the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of their classmates. While this case study addresses elementary school students, it is possible to perform variations of community mapping with students of all ages. For those who interested in implementing community mapping in their own classrooms, this study serves as a step-by-step guide

The Perception of Library and Information Science Journals by LIS Education Deans and ARL Library Directors: A Replication of the Kohl-Davis Study

Analyzing the collective opinion of presumed experts, often termed a per- ception study, is a frequently used approach for rating journals or evaluating education programs. Replicating the 1985 Kohl–Davis study, seventy-one library and information science (LIS) journals are ranked according to their mean rating on a 1 to 5 ordinal scale by deans of ALA-accredited educa- tion programs and by the directors of ARL libraries (surveyed during the summer of 2003). Comparison of the results with the 1985 study found considerable continuity in journal perceptions over the past two decades, but more so by directors than deans. A weak to moderate correlation was found between deans’ ratings and Journal Citation Reports citation scores, whereas the correlations between directors’ perceptions and citation data were weak to nonexistent. The findings confirm a hierarchy of prestige among LIS journals, but the hierarchical order differs somewhat between deans and directors

The Behavior of scientists in seeking and using documents

Scientists deal in the commodities of knowledge and information. Much of the information they produce is disseminated and acquired from publications, hence the interest in examining how different reading behaviors are associated with their profession. Another goal of this thesis is to examine the reading behaviors of scientists and to discover relationships between these behaviors and the scientists\u27 measures of professional success. To do this, the results from a library needs assessment were used to obtain information on user needs, wants, and desires. The assessment was done in 1993-1994 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The survey was large, covering many aspects of present and future needs in services and facilities, and so was split into 17 parts, with each part answered by a different set of university-associated respondents. The part used in this thesis focused on the reading behaviors of the faculty level users. The data were analyzed to obtain information on the reading behaviors of scientists and nonscientists and information on the correlations of rewards (publication level, honors) with reading behaviors. Reading behaviors of the science and non-science faculty were generally similar. Notable exceptions were their different emphases on document types and their specific concerns for electronic and print publications. The differences between the reading behaviors of successful scientists and not-as-successful scientists were generally slight though fairly consistent among the success measures. The largest differences were seen in the amount of readings and the use of personal funds to buy subscriptions