A Study on Analyzing Co-authorship Networks of Library and Information Science in Taiwan

The purpose of this research was to investigate the characteristics of library and information science (LIS) field in Asian countries, focusing on the case of Taiwan. In order to conduct this study, the obtained statistical data and co-authorship networks based on eight major LIS journals in Taiwan were analyzed and compared to the case of South Korea. In Taiwan like Korea, papers published by a single-author and 2 to 3 co-authors were the most common. The centrality analysis showed that leading professors in the national-level university in Taiwan have strong and distinctive ties in the network. Additional unique characteristics pertaining to collaboration in Taiwan include the existence of journals focused on practical aspects in the field of LIS and active research participation involving librarians who publish papers in these journals.