Difference in citation rates by subject areas of lis in Korea

Citation analysis, in addition to peer review, is one of the popular methods to assess faculty research performance. In some disciplines, the validity of citation counts for evaluating research has been proven by many studies. However, it should be used cautiously when different disciplines are concerned, because citation practices may vary across disciplines. Although there have been studies that have examined the different citation practices across disciplines, relatively little research has investigated the citation rates of subject areas within a single discipline. This study explores the citation rates of subject areas in library and information science (LIS) in Korea. The preliminary results of this study will provide the rationale for further work, analyzing the causes of different citation patterns in a discipline. Ultimately, the study could provide useful implications for understanding and using the citation counts in assessing research performance.