Assessment of the thematic evolution of Library and Information Science (LIS) research in Spanish in the LISA database using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) (1978-2019)

The thematic evolution of LIS research in Spanish between 1978 and 2019 is analyzed within the international context. To this end, relevant bibliographic references were retrieved from the Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) database, and their titles and abstracts were treated using the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) method, a statistical thematic modeling technique. Nineteen thematic sets were found and analyzed, labeled, and systematized in four main areas: processes, information technologies, libraries, and specialized documentations. Next, the results in Spanish were compared with international results obtained previously using the same methodology. In conclusion, LIS literature in Spanish mainly follows the international trends: during the last 50 years, the thematic focus of research has shifted from libraries and informational organizations to users and the development of specific systems and solutions. However, LIS research in Spanish also presents distinct characteristics: the importance of bibliometric research and biomedical documentation; research in the library area; and a certain delay in addressing technological, legal, and educational aspects. Although the selection of LISA articles depends on editorial decisions, the application of LDA to the peer-reviewed literature in Spanish provided results that are consistent with the international global trends, studies on other similar sources, and overall the state of the art.