An exploratory study of library science journal articles in syllabi

Altmetrics are increasingly playing a role in helping scholars illustrate their scholarly impact. One altmetric involves citations in syllabi or analyzing the way journal literature is presented and used in syllabi. This exploratory study uses data from the Open Syllabus Project to analyze citations in syllabi of journal articles from three leading library science journals. Results from the analysis show that the articles cited in syllabi were mostly research articles written on a range of topics in library science, primarily by practitioner librarians. The data show that citations of these articles in syllabi occur less frequently than citations from journals, making a citation in a syllabus a more unique occurrence. Data also show that the articles cited in the syllabi were primarily published within the last 15 years and used predominantly within library science courses, although there is evidence that library science articles are also being used in other disciplines. Analysis of subjects and terms associated with the articles cited in syllabi indicated that traditional areas of library science are represented more than newer or emerging topics.