Information science and information systems: Conjunct subjects disjunct disciplines

Abstract

The relationship between information science and information systems (IS) research is examined through analysis of the subject literature of each field and by citation and co-citation analysis of highly cited researchers in each field. The subfields of user studies (US) and information retrieval (IR) research were selected to represent information science research as these subject areas are central to information science and seemed also to represent areas in which there was most overlap of interest or subject matter. The two forms of analysis revealed that although there seemed considerable overlap or potential for overlap in research subjects that there was almost none in relation to the disciplinary fields as assessed by the co-citation analysis of the most highly cited authors in the three subject areas. An examination of the reasons for this is offered in relation to the nature of scientific disciplines, the socialization process of researchers in the different fields and with institutional pressures.