Information Seeking Behavior Literature Metadata, 1989-2024

Metadata from 28,435 papers on information seeking behavior published between 1989 and 2024, sourced from the Web of Science database. The dataset was created by Sudipta Kalita and last updated in April 2026. It was analyzed using bibliometric laws and tools like Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to study growth trends, author productivity, and thematic clusters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing annual publication growth trends based on the described 8% average annual growth rate.
• Identifying core journals and prolific authors based on the application of Bradford's and Lotka's laws.
• Mapping thematic evolution in the field based on the four keyword clusters identified in the description.
• Studying open access publishing trends based on the reported 27% freely accessible papers.
• Comparing national contributions to the literature based on the top contributing countries mentioned.

Strengths

• Contains metadata for 28,435 papers, providing a substantial sample for analysis.
• Covers a long temporal range of 35 years (1989-2024).
• Analysis confirms the dataset's alignment with Lotka's Law of author productivity.
• Specific core journals and influential authors are identified, adding interpretive value.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific tasks.
• Data may reflect source bias inherent to the Web of Science database's coverage.

Provenance

Source

Web of Science database.

Collection Method

Bibliometric analysis using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer.

Time Range

1989 to 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-13 08:52:07; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, with top contributors being the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.