Theoretical Contributions of African Scholars to Global Library and Information Science Discourse: A Bibliometric and Citation Analysis

This study examined the theoretical contributions of African scholars, with emphasis on Nigerian academics, to global Library and Information Science discourse through a systematic bibliometric and citation analysis. Questions of knowledge production asymmetry in LIS scholarship have gained prominence in recent years, with concerns that African scholarship remains peripheral to mainstream theoretical development. A bibliometric design was employed, drawing on data extracted from Scopus, Web of Science, and African Journals Online for the period 2014 to 2024. Co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence mapping, and h-index comparisons were used to assess the visibility, impact, and theoretical originality of African LIS scholarship. The study found that Nigerian scholars produced the largest volume of African LIS publications but that citation impact remained low compared to Global North outputs. Theoretical originality was evident in indigenous knowledge management, health information behaviour, and postcolonial library studies, representing areas where African scholars have made distinctive and internationally recognised contributions. The study recommends strategies to improve global citation visibility of African LIS scholarship. Keywords: bibliometrics, citation analysis, African LIS scholarship, knowledge production, Nigeria.