Research on information literacy education in China (1995–2023): A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

This paper conducts a bibliometric analysis of Information Literacy Education (ILE) research in China, using data from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from 1995 to 2023. Through polynomial fitting analysis of the annual number of publications, the research is periodized into four stages. For each stage, co-word networks were constructed from the abstracts, followed by hierarchical clustering with Louvain community detection and weighted degree centrality. Python modules with a step-range traversal loop were also employed to optimize cluster modularity, enabling an accurate visualization of research landscapes at each stage. Finally, drawing on evolutionary theory for bibliometric analysis, diachronic comparisons were conducted to reveal both the continuity and divergence in the concept of ILE and its related research. The dynamic interplay between the technological subsystem and ILE as a social subsystem serves as the driving mechanism behind these developments, framed within the theoretical guidance of Sociotechnical Systems Theory (STST).

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