Subject domain expertise of ISIC2018 reviewer community : a scoping review

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