The evolution and development landscape of scholarly communication based on the analysis of published articles

Abstract

This paper aims to unveil the comprehensive research landscape and gain insights into the evolving trend of primary research content within the scholarly communication domain. Leveraging various literature visualization tools, the study delves into the key research themes and their progression in scholarly communication from articles retrieved in Web of Science spanning the years 1996–2021. Moreover, the investigation delves into the historical roots and seminal works in the field. Notably, recent years have witnessed a remarkable focus from scholars on information dissemination, scientific assessment, emerging evaluation frameworks rooted in modern social media, open access, and social networking. The identified classic works indicate that scientific comprehension, citation behavior, communication, and online collaboration have garnered sustained research interest within the scholarly communication realm. In summary, the prevailing research content has transitioned from a closed, publication-centric model to an open network characterized by globalization and diversity. Concurrently, the transformation of scholarly communication is advancing toward digitalization, openness, socialization, networking, and enhanced accessibility.