Co-citation analysis as research method in Library Information Science

THE PERTINENCE AND UTILITY OF CO-CITATION ANALYSIS AS A RESEARCH METHOD IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE (LIS) ARE SHOWN BY MEANS OF BIBLIOMETRIC ND CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN WORKS PUBLISHED ON THIS TOPIC. THE SIZE AND EVOLUTION OF THE LITERATURE ARE ANALYSED, AS WELL AS THE DOCUMENTARY TYPOLOGY AND THE SUBJECT OF THE JOURNALS WHERE THE MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS ARE PUB­LISHED. THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED METHODS AND TECH­NIQUES FOR THE ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION OF THE KNOWL­EDGE STRUCTURES OF SCIENTIFIC DOMAINS ARE DESCRIBED, AND THE PROPOSED MODELS OF MAPS ARE PRESENTED. SOME OF THE APPLICATIONS AND POSSIBLE USES OF THE RESULTS OF THESE ANALYSES ARE SHOWN, AS WELL AS THEIR ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS.