On the evolution of library and information science doctoral dissertation topics in China

Abstract

Previous studies have presented a radical change in library and information science research topics in North America. This article investigates library and information science doctoral dissertations in China in terms of their topics and interdisciplinarity in the past 20 years. The results do not find a significant change in library and information science dissertation topics in China but reveal that the increase of library and information science doctoral research in the area of information science is attributed to an increase in admissions to Information Science majors compared to other majors (Library Science and Archive Studies). This study also shows that the academic background of library and information science doctoral advisors does not affect the interdisciplinarity of their students’ doctoral dissertations in China.