PRODUCTIVITY, IMPACT, AND THE LIBRARY/INFORMATION SCIENCE DOCTORATE: A METHODOLOGICAL AND QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF PUBLICATIONS, CITERS, AND CITATIONS

The objectives of the research were: (1) documentation of pre- and of post-doctoral publications (productivity) of Library and Information Science (LIS) doctorates; (2) determination of the effect (impact) on writers--regardless of their discipline--by publications of such doctorates; (3) testing of two methods purporting to measure impact: Dieks and Chang Citation Index Activity (CIA) Equation Method and Virgo's Raw Citation Count Method. The study was also to determine whether the Dieks and Chang formula could be considered applicable to the LIS discipline.;Publications were found to be increasing. Correlation was weak between pre-doctoral and post-doctoral publication.;As for citations to doctoral writings, an uncertain association was demonstrated between pre-doctoral and post-doctoral citations. Two other impact measures: Citation Mean (x) Impact and Citer Mean (y) Impact provided an overview of citation and citer activity patterns in the Library/Information Science discipline.;Correlations between Dieks and Chang's Equation and Virgo's Raw Citation Count Methods showed a high, positive correlation: r = .88 (Sample I): r = .93 (Sample II), both at .01 significance levels. The Virgo Method was found to be less time-consuming. An (DBLTURN)1:1 relationship was noted between citers and citations.;Two random samples were drawn from a population of 359 LIS doctorates: Sample I graduates, 1970-71; Sample II, 1970-75. The following were the outcomes:...