What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the longitudinal evolution of topical content and research methodologies in Library and Information Science (LIS) scholarly literature from 1965 to 2025.

August 15, 2026Journal of Documentation

LIS Research 1965-2025: a content analysis of topics and methods in journal articles

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To evaluate the longitudinal evolution of topical content and research methodologies in Library and Information Science (LIS) scholarly literature from 1965 to 2025.
Conducted a quantitative intellectual content analysis of articles published in ~30 scholarly LIS journals across a 60-year timeframe (1965–2025).
Applied a stable, multi-dimensional faceted classification framework covering 5 dimensions to classify article topics and research methodologies over time.
Scientific and professional communication (S&PC) became the most prominent topic, while library and information services and information storage and retrieval (IS&R) experienced marked declines.
Methodological diversity increased significantly, characterized by growing adoption of surveys, scientometric methods, experiments, case studies, and qualitative methods.
In 2025, 41% of articles published in top LIS journals fell outside traditional LIS topics, indicating changing publisher interests and research paradigms.

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Implication

Longitudinal content analysis reveals shifting topics and diversifying methodologies across 60 years of LIS journal articles, highlighting expanding disciplinary boundaries and changing paradigms.

Cite This Study

Järvelin et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8019fe75c2e31742c86630 https://doi.org/10.1108/jd-05-2026-0274

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Implication

Longitudinal content analysis reveals shifting topics and diversifying methodologies across 60 years of LIS journal articles, highlighting expanding disciplinary boundaries and changing paradigms.

LIS Research 1965-2025: a content analysis of topics and methods in journal articles

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

LIS Research 1965-2025: a content analysis of topics and methods in journal articles

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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