Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Viewing information literacy concepts: a comparison of two branches of knowledge

  • Published:
Scientometrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An integrative approach is taken to mapping the field of research on information literacy in health sciences and social sciences. The objective was to identify the conceptual structure of these areas, and to determine their main research fronts and descriptors, and the relationships between them. A further objective is to determine whether information literacy is a consistent area. The basis of the study is the use of the program VOSViewer to analyse the co-occurrence of the areas’ descriptors, grouping them into clusters and generating a map of their connections. Information retrieval was by retrospective searches of the Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) and Scopus (Elsevier). The results for the health sciences area yielded four clusters. The centralmost descriptor was Education (with a total link strength of 1,470), which was strongly linked to the descriptor “Information retrieval”, and weakly linked to “Information skills”, “Information seeking”, and “Information Science”. In social sciences, there were six clusters. “Information literacy” was now the descriptor with most occurrences (812) as well as having the greatest weight—a total link strength of 2,340—followed by “Education” with 839 occurrences. The resulting maps provide a graphical identification of the main research issues and trends in information literacy in these two areas of expertise which, according to the data of the present study, correspond to lesser (health sciences) and greater (social sciences) scientific production. Information literacy was seen to be conceptually more consistent in health sciences than in social sciences. However, at least for the moment, it is a still growing conceptual space that is in need of solider indices of consistency and specificity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AASL/AECT. (1998). Information literacy standard for student learning. http://www.davidvl.org/250CourseSpr04/modelaasl.html. Accessed 3 April 2013.

  • ALA/ACRL. (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/standards.pdf. Accessed 7 September 2013.

  • Andretta, S. (2007). Change and challenge: Information literacy for the 21st century. Adelaide: Auslib Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Badke, W. (2008). Ten reasons to teach information literacy for credit. Online, 32(6), 47–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bankson, H. L. (2009). Health literacy: An exploratory bibliometric analysis, 1997–2007. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 97(2), 148–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beard, J., & Dale, P. (2010). Library design, learning spaces and academic literacy. New Library World, 111(11/12), 480–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, C. P., & Kingsley-Wilson, B. (2010). Assessing organically: Turning an assignment into an assessment. Reference Services Review, 38(4), 536–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, C., & Hughes, H. (2010). Informed learning: A pedagogical construct attending simultaneously to information use and learning. Library and Information Science Research, 32(4), A2–A8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham, E., & Peterson, E. B. (2005). Health information literacy: A library case study. Library Trends, 53(3), 422–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castells, M. (2001). La era de la información: economía, sociedad y cultura (Vol. 2). México: Siglo XXI.

  • Conley, T. M., & Gil, E. L. (2011). Information literacy for undergraduate business students: Examining value, relevancy, and implications for the new century. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 16(3), 213–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2000). Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design of social futures. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corrall, S. M. (2007). Benchmarking strategic engagement with information literacy in higher education: Towards a working model. Information Research, 12(4) paper 328. http://InformationR.net/ir/12-4/paper328.html. Accessed May 2012.

  • Cvetkovic, B. V., & Lackie, R. J. (2009). Teaching generation M: A handbook for librarians and educators. New York: Neal-Schuman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daugherty, A. L., & Russo, M. F. (2010). Reinforcing critical thinking and information literacy skills through assignment design. Louisiana Libraries, 72(3), 26–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davenport, T. H., & Prusak, L. (2000). Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudziak, E. A. (2010). Competência informacional: análise evolucionária das tendências da pesquisa e produtividade científica em âmbito mundial. Informação & Informação, 15(2), 1–22. http://www.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/informacao/article/view/7045/6994. Accessed May 2013.

  • Eisenberg, M., & Berkowitz, R. (1990). Information problem solving: The Big Six skills approach to library & information skills instruction. Norwood: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, P., & Desouza, K. C. (2009). On information management, environmental sustainability, and cradle to cradle mentalities. Business Information Review, 26(4), 257–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Escalona, M. I., Lagar, M. P., & Pulgarín, A. (2010). Web of Science vs. SCOPUS: Un estudio cuantitativo en Ingeniería Química. Anales de documentación: Revista de biblioteconomía y documentación, 13, 159–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, S. (2002). Information literary and consumer health. White Paper. Information literacy meeting of experts. Prague, The Czech Republic.

  • Gratch-Lindauer, B. (2004). Developing a tool to assess community college students. In Ilene Rockman (Ed.), Integrating information literacy into the higher education curriculum (pp. 165–206). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gross, M., & Latham, D. (2007). Attaining information literacy: An investigation of the relationship between skill level, self-estimates of skill, and library anxiety. Library & Information Science Research, 29, 332–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes-Bohanan, P., & Spievak, E. (2008). You can lead students to sources, but can you make them think? College & Undergraduate Libraries, 15(1), 173–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Head, J., & Eisenberg, M. B. (2010): How college students evaluate and use information in the digital age. http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_Fall2010_Survey_FullReport1.pdf. Accessed 3 April 2013.

  • Hollister, C. V. (2011). Best practices for credit-bearing information literacy courses. ACRL, 288 pp.

  • Horton, F. W. (2007). Understanding information literacy: A primer” information society division, communication and information sector. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ivanitskaya, L., O’Boyle, I., & Casey, A. M. (2006). Health information literacy and competencies of information age students: Results from the interactive online research readiness self-assessment (RRSA). Journal of Medical Internet Research , 8(2), e6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarson, J. (2010). Information literacy and higher education. College & Research Libraries News, 71(10), 534–538.

    Google Scholar 

  • Julien, H., & Breu, R. D. (2005). Instructional practices in Canadian public libraries. Library and Information. Science Research, 27(3), 281–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kellner, D. (2000). Multiple Literacies and Critical Pedagogies: New Paradigms. In P. P. Trifonas (Ed.), Revolutionary pedagogies: Cultural politics, instituting education, and the discourse of theory (pp. 2–196). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kondilis, B. K., Soteriades, E. S., & Falagas, M. E. (2006). Health literacy research in Europe: a snapshot. European Journal of Public Health, 16(1), 113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koneru, I. (2010). ADDIE: Designing Web-enabled information literacy instructional modules. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 30(3), 23–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhlthau, C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42(5), 361–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lannuzzi, P. (1999). We are teaching, but are they learning: Accountability, productivity, and assessment. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 25(4), 304–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larkin, J. E., & Pines, H. A. (2005). Developing information literacy and research skills in introductory psychology: A case study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31(1), 40–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, J. (2007). Information Literacy: An international state-of-the art report. UNESCO-IFLA. http://www.ifla.org/publications/information-literacy-state-of-the-art-reports. Accessed 3 April 2013.

  • Loertscher, D., & Woolls, B. (2002). Information literacy: A review of the research. A guide for practitioners and researchers. San Jose, CA: Hi Willow Research and Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mancuso, J. M. (2009). Assessment and measurement of health literacy: An integrative review of the literature. Nursing & Health Sciences, 11(1), 77–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markless, S., & Streatfield, D. R. (2007). Three decades of information literacy: Redefining the parameters. In S. Andretta (Ed.), Change and challenge: Information literacy for the 21st century (pp. 15–36). Adelaide: Auslib Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAvinia, C., Fallon, H., & McQuaid, M. (2008). The role of a virtual learning environment (VLE). In the teaching of an accredited module in information literacy skills. Emerging issues II. The changing roles and identities of teachers and learners in higher education. NAIRTL—The National Academy for Integration of Research & Teaching & Learning, pp. 153–167.

  • Medical Library Association. (2013) Health information literacy: definitions [Internet]. Chicago, IL: The Association. http://www.mlanet.org/resources/healthlit/define.html. Accessed 3 April 2013.

  • Newman, M. E. J., & Girvan, M. (2004). Finding and evaluating community structure in networks. Physical Review E, 69(2), 026113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oakleaf, M., & Kaske, N. (2009). Guiding questions for assessing information literacy in higher education. Portal, 9(2), 273–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2007) Measuring the progress of world societies: The Istanbul Declaration. http://www.oecd.org/site/0,3407,en_21571361_31938349_1_1_1_1_1,00.html. Accessed 3 April 2013.

  • Ogris, G., & Westphal, S. (2006). Indicators on active citizenship: The political domain Vienna. Vienna: SORA Institute for Social Research and Analysis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, A. (2009). A needs analysis for information literacy provision for research: A case study in University College Dublin. Journal of Information Literacy, 3(1), 5–18. http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/article/view/PRA-V3-I1-2009-1. Accessed May 2012.

  • Pinto, M. (2010). Design of the IL-HUMASS survey on information literacy in higher education: A self-assessment approach. Journal of Information Science, 36(1), 86–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, M. (2011). A approach to the internal facet of Information Literacy using the IL-HUMASS survey. Journal of Academic Library, 37(2), 145–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, M., Cordón, J. A., & Gómez, R. (2010a). Thirty years of information literacy (1977–2007): A terminological, conceptual and statistical analysis. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (JOLIS), 42(1), 3–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, M., Escalona, M. I., & Pulgarin, A. (2013). Information literacy in social sciences and health sciences: A bibliometric study (1974–2011). Scientometrics, 95, 1071–1094.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, M., García, J., Sales, D., & Cordón, J. A. (2010b). Interactive self-assessment test for improving and evaluating information competence. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(6), 526–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, M., & Sales, D. (2008). Knowledge transfer and information skills for student-centered learning: Some academic experiences in Spain. Portal Libraries and the Academy, 8(1), 53–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, M., Uribe-Tirado, A., Cordón, J. A., & Gómez-Díaz, R. (2011). La producción científica internacional sobre competencias informacionales e informáticas: Tendencias e interrelaciones. Información, Cultura y Sociedad. Revista del Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas-Argentina, 25, 29–62.

  • Rader, H. (2000). A silver anniversary: 25 years of reviewing the literature related to user instruction. Reference Services Review, 28(3), 290–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rader, H. A., & Coons, W. (1992). Information literacy: One response to the new decade. In B. Baker & M. E. Litzinger (Eds.), The evolving educational mission of the library (pp. 109–125). Chicago: Bibliographic Instruction Section, Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.

  • Salem, J. A., & Radcliff, C. J. (2006). Using the SAILS test to assess information literacy. Building effective, sustainable, practical assessment: In: Proceedings of the second library assessment conference (Charlottesville, 2006), pp. 131–137.

  • Saranto, K., & Hovenga, E. J. S. (2004). Information literacy-what it is about? Literature review of the concept and the context. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 73(6), 503–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, R., & Wojtezak, A. (2003). Una vía hacia la educación médica orientada a las competencias. Educación Médica, 6(2), 5–10. July–Sep. http://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S1575-18132003000400002. Accessed 4 April 2013.

  • Shapiro, R. M. (2010). Health literacy: A bibliometric and citation analysis. University of Kentucky Master’s Theses. Paper 71. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/71. Accessed 4 April 2013.

  • Shenton, A. K., & Fitzgibbons, M. (2010). Making information literacy relevant. Library Review, 59(3), 165–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, A. B. (2005). A report on faculty perceptions of students’ information literacy competencies in journalism and mass communication programs: The ACEJMC survey. College & Research Libraries, 66(4), 294–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, K. L., Eisenberg, M. B., & Lowe, C. A. (1998). Information literacy essential skills for the information age. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, Syracuse University. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/detail?accno=ED427780. Accessed 4 April 2013.

  • Thaxton, L. (2002). Information dissemination and library instruction in psychology revisited. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, 21(1), 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2007). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Eck, N. J., Waltman, L., Dekker, R., & Van den Berg, J. (2010). A comparison of two techniques for bibliometric mapping: Multidimensional scaling and VOS. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 61(12), 2405–2416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virkus, S. (2003). Information literacy in Europe: A literature review. Information Research, 8(4), paper no. 159. http://informationr.net/ir/8-4/paper159.html. Accessed 4 April 2013.

  • Walsh, A. (2009). Information literacy assessment: Were we do start? Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 41(1), 19–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webber, S., & Johnston, B. (2000). Conceptions of IL: New perspectives and implications. Journal of Information Science, 26(6), 381–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information and Communication, Facultad de Comunicación y Documentación, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja, Granada, 18071, Spain

    María Pinto

  2. Department of Information and Communication, Facultad de Biblioteconomía y Documentación, University of Extremadura, Plazuela Ibn Marwan, Badajoz, 06071, Spain

    Antonio Pulgarín

  3. Servicio de Biblioteca, Archivo y Documentación, University of Extremadura, 10071, Caceres, Spain

    M. Isabel Escalona

Authors
  1. María Pinto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Antonio Pulgarín
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Isabel Escalona
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Isabel Escalona.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pinto, M., Pulgarín, A. & Escalona, M.I. Viewing information literacy concepts: a comparison of two branches of knowledge. Scientometrics 98, 2311–2329 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1166-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1166-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation