OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS FROM THE UNITED STATES, U.K. AND INDIA: A COMPARATIVE BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY

Abstract

This study investigates 22 open-access (OA) journals in Library and Information Science (LIS) published from India, the USA, and the UK, encompassing 5,296 articles from 2005 to 2014. Multiple bibliometric indicators, Relative Growth Rate (RGR), Doubling Time (DT), Degree of Collaboration (DC), Collaboration Index (CI), Dominance Factor (DF), and Lotka’s Law, were applied to assess publication trends and authorship patterns. Results reveal a consistent decline in RGR across all three countries, with comparatively higher DT values in the USA and the UK, indicating slower literature growth relative to India. Authorship analysis shows dual-authored papers are dominant in India, while single-authored contributions remain prevalent in the USA and the UK. Higher DC and CI values in India highlight stronger collaborative tendencies. The Dominance Factor analysis identifies prolific authors with varied influence levels, whereas Lotka’s Law does not fit the observed data. Overall, the findings indicate that OA publishing has significantly enhanced research dissemination and accessibility within LIS, fostering broader collaboration. The study recommends extending future analyses to recent years using advanced bibliometric and network analysis tools to evaluate evolving citation impacts and collaboration structures.