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This study provides a longitudinal scientometric analysis of global trypanosomiasis research between 1988 and 2017 as indexed in Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science (WoS). Contributions by researchers from different countries and continents are outlined based on publication productivity, international collaborations, citation analysis, and keyword analysis. Bibliographic records of research publications indexed by WoS were downloaded based on a broad search of related terms. The authors compared the growth of literature by continent using 5-year increments, conducted a citation and co-authorship analysis by country, and a keyword analysis by publication using the scientometric visualization software VOSviewer. The trypanosomiasis research literature has seen more than a fourfold annual increase in production over the study period. Contributions by authors affiliated with European and South American countries proportionately account for the most research literature. The United States and Brazil, however, occupy central roles for citations and as national contributors to the literature. The terms 'trypanosomiasis cruzi' and 'chagas disease' have become more prominent, reflecting the regional growth of research from South America. Relative contributions from regions where the disease is prevalent show mixed developments. Contributions by African authors have declined proportionately to other areas of the world. However, South American contributions have increased during the study period. The contributing countries to the literature do not necessarily represent regions in which the diseases are prevalent. The same is true of the citation relationships, where European and North American contributions are more frequently cited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms, search engine transaction logs, Web portal transaction logs, large text corpora, and other data sources offer users a variety of invaluable data sources. Data generated based on social media platforms and other data sources have become important sources of big data for researchers in information science. Big data provide not only challenges but also opportunities for information science. Emerging big data trends inevitably have an impact on research methods in information science. The authors of this paper discuss the impact of big data on research methods in information science. This paper addresses these challenges and opportunities through the lens of research methods, ranging from data processing, to sampling, to information visualization, to temporal analysis, to sentiment analysis, to correlation, to cause-effect relationship, to data accessibility, to data privacy, and data ethics issues. The discussions on related aspects of research methods provoke a healthy reflection and debate for the information science research community, which can help researchers in the field produce sound research designs for big data-oriented research studies and assist information practitioners in solving problems they face in the big data age. Research methods are fundamental and essential for any research studies. Big data analysis has a natural relationship with research methods. The paper discusses an emerging and important research topic big data from the unique angle of research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]