Libraly Journal

Libraly Journal ›› 2020, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (7): 48-57.

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Survival Analysis of Author Keywords: An Empirical Study on Library and Information Science in China

Liu Zhifeng, Li Xin   

  • Online:2020-07-30 Published:2020-07-31

Abstract: Author keyword, representing core content of the paper, is one of the most important elements of scientific papers. This study used Kaplan-Meier curve to investigate the survival of author keywords in library and information science in China, which can provide more insights to the evolution of a topic or discipline. Firstly, we obtained all the papers published by thirteen journals on library and information science from 1998 to 2018, which are indexed in the CSSCI database. Then the Kaplan-Meier curve was used to analyze the survival of author keywords whereas the Log Rank and Breslow test were used to verify the differences of survival of author keywords between different disciplines and between different types of journals. The results showed that the author keywords survival curve in the field of library and information science declined rapidly in the first year, followed by a slow downward trend, and that the average survival time of author keywords was 2.245 years. Moreover, we found that the average survival time of author keywords in information science is longer than that in library science, and there is a significant difference at the level of 0.001. In addition, the average survival time of author keywords in authoritative journals is longer than that of core journals, and there is a significant difference at 0.001 level. In this study, the Kaplan-Meier curve was applied to the study of the survival of author keywords, revealing the patterns of survival of author keywords in the field of library and information science in China, which can provide a new research perspective for topic evolution analysis.

Key words: Survival analysis, Kaplan-Meier curve, Author keywords, Evolution analysis, Library and information science