Measuring the research performance of LIS academicians in Pakistan using Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science databases

Purpose: This study ascertains and compares the quantity of publications, citations, h-indices, rankings and the most cited papers of Pakistani LIS academicians in Google Scholar (GS), Scopus and World of Science (WOS) databases.Design/methodology/approach: The publications of 32 LIS faculty members were scrutinized. Searches by academicians’ name were performed in GS, Scopus and WOS in March 2021.Research limitation(s): In case of co-authored publications, full credit was awarded to each author. Moreover, all citations received by a publication were counted and there was no exclusion for self-citations.The databases update their data very promptly, therefore, the time this paper get published the data would have changed. Key findings: Seven LIS faculty members from GS, two each from Scopus and WOS had an h-index in double figure. Moreover, Khalid Mahmood and Kanwal Ameen both from the University of the Punjab, Lahore were ranked first and second respectively in all three databases. A significant correlation was observed in the h-indices of three databases. The most cited article got 185 citations in GS, 40 in Scopus and 19 in WOS.Practical Implication(s):Citation analysis, despite limitations, is an important indicator for measuring the research performance of scholars. However, GS, Scopus and WOS provide different h-index ratings for LIS faculty members.Contribution to knowledge: It is the first ever study on the subject as no study has evaluated the research performance of LIS faculty membersin Pakistan as a whole. Paper type: Research