Mapping Information Literacy Research: A Scientometric Analysis of Productivity, Authorship, Institutions, and Source Impact

This study conducts a scientometric analysis of information literacy (IL) research using data from the Web of Science (1998–2024). A total of 6,096 publications from 1,661 sources were examined to assess research growth, authorship, geographic distribution, institutional productivity, and source impact. Results show a strong upward trend in IL scholarship, with a 20.92% annual growth rate and peak output in 2024. Authorship patterns indicate a few prolific contributors, such as Pinto, M. and Lloyd, A., alongside a majority of single-publication authors, reflecting the field’s interdisciplinary nature. The United States leads global research output, followed by China, the United Kingdom, and Australia, with emerging contributions from South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Core journals, including Journal of Academic Librarianship and College & Research Libraries, dominate the literature, while interdisciplinary sources highlight IL’s expanding scope. Overall, findings confirm IL’s maturation into a globally significant and evolving research domain.