Abstract:
INTRODUCTION : The paper reports on the subject domain expertise of the ISIC2018
international programme committee (i.e., reviewers) to assess how the reviewer expertise
reflects information behaviour research, related fields, trends in the information behaviour
research landscape, and opportunities for collaboration.
METHOD :The paper is based on a scoping review of selected key publications of reviewers
indexed in three proprietary databases covering library and information science and
interdisciplinary research. References were exported to EndNote databases; one per reviewer.
ANALYSIS : A thematic analysis of more than four thousand references (duplicates removed)
identified the key focus areas of information behaviour. Titles and abstracts of mostly journal
articles were analysed. Publications in non-English languages are included based on English
titles and abstracts.
FINDINGS : Reviewers published on eleven major information behaviour themes and subthemes, and a variety of topics other than information behaviour that can strengthen
collaboration and the scope of information behaviour research.
CONCLUSION : The ISIC2018 international programme committee is well qualified to review
papers within the scope of information behaviour, (i.e., the variety of target groups, contexts,
demographic factors, and information activities). Representation of countries not typically
attending ISIC conferences and benefiting from auxiliary research expertise must needs further
investigation
