Does distance influence international collaboration among scientists? Evidence from library and information science

Abstract The study systematically investigates the determinants of international research collaboration in Library and Information Science (LIS) from 1990 to 2019. Using a gravity model estimated by Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) with high-dimensional fixed effects and fractional counting, we analyze the evolving patterns and drivers of collaboration. The findings reveal several key trends: collaborative research has become the dominant form of scholarly production, with the share of co-authored articles rising from 23.03% to 74.89%. International collaboration grew at a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.67%, significantly outpacing domestic collaboration. The field continues to be characterized by small-to-medium sized teams, typically consisting of 2–6 authors. Network analysis shows substantial structural expansion: the number of participating countries doubled from 54 to 105, collaborative ties increased sixfold, and the total volume of decadal collaboration grew by 41.5 times. The international collaboration network has evolved from a hub-and-spoke model centered on the United States to a bipolar system led by China and the United States, supported by multiple regional poles. In terms of determining factors, traditional gravitational factors—shared language, land contiguity and colonial relationships—have shown a strong and lasting positive impact on collaboration. Its influence remains relatively stable within 30 years, especially in the second half. In contrast, neither economic nor political distance has shown a sustained impact. The robustness test confirmed the reliability of these findings.