RESEARCH VISIBILITY AND CITATION PATTERNS: A STUDY OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA’S FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

In the academic realm of Library and Information Science, the importance of research and publication cannot be overstated. Librarians, as academics, are not only expected to excel in their roles as educators, researchers, and disseminators of knowledge but also to fulfill various administrative duties. Nigerian librarians, in particular, have gained recognition for their active engagement in research and publication within the African context, second only to South Africa. This prominence is intended to draw a broader readership and encourage citation. It is essential to ensure that their research outputs, designed to address region-specific issues, receive wide circulation and accessibility to facilitate the practical application of research findings in addressing the problems they aim to resolve. Research output, as articulated by Zainab (2001), encompasses the tangible outcomes of research that find expression in printed form, primarily through formal research communications. Likewise, Edem (2004) characterizes research output as a combination of books, book chapters, journal articles, and related research materials such as bibliographies, abstracts, and indexes.