Dispersion of ICT-related subject terms in information and knowledge management publications: a Bradford analysis

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dc.contributor.authorOnyancha, Omwoyo Bosire
dc.contributor.authorOcholla, Dennis N.
dc.coverage.conferenceissn
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-16T13:45:35Z
dc.date.available2026-03-16T13:45:35Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.departmentNameInformation Studies
dc.description.abstractThe application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in information and knowledge management (IKM) has attracted the attention of library and information Science (LIS) scholars in the recent past. The multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of ICTs means that the ICT literature is published in several fields of knowledge. Although Bradford’s law of dispersion is commonly used to determine the core journals in a given field or discipline or topic of study, this study attempts to use the principles of the law to determine the core concepts of ICTs within the information and knowledge management literature. Data was obtained from EBSCO Discovery’s Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) and the Library and Information Science Source (LISS) databases using a variety of keywords as search terms. The procedures of conducting a Bradford analysis were followed to determine the core subject terms in ICTs as reflected in the IKM group of articles published between 1998 and 2017. The results indicate that the application of ICTs in IKM largely occurs in the fields medicine, business and commerce, education and training (higher education and training), decision sciences, and industrial management. It was also noted that the core subjects varied from one study period to another; technology-associated subject terms were largely visible; and the dispersion of subject terms fits the Bradford’s dispersion. We however noted that the dispersion of articles according to Bradford’s zones is not accurately representative of the principles of the Law. The study has implications for collection development, searching and retrieval practices, and the application of Bradford’s law beyond the analysis of core journals or publications in not only IKM but also in the field of library and information science.
dc.facultyFaculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
dc.identifier.citationOnyancha, O.B. and Ocholla, D.N. 2022. Dispersion of ICT-related subject terms in information and knowledge management publications: a Bradford analysis. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), pp.1-8.
dc.identifier.issn2662-9992 (online)
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01189-2
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10530/58960
dc.inproceedingsissn
dc.issuenumber9 / 1
dc.keynoteissn
dc.language.isoEnglish
dc.pages1 - 8
dc.peerreviewedYes
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.subjectInformation and communication technologies (ICTs)
dc.subjectKnowledge management
dc.subjectInformation retrieval
dc.subjectSearching
dc.titleDispersion of ICT-related subject terms in information and knowledge management publications: a Bradford analysis
dc.title.journalHumanities and Social Sciences Communications
dc.typeJournal Article
dspace.entity.typePublication
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