Citation Impact Vs. Altmetric Attention: A Correlation Analysis of Indian Open Access (OA) LIS Research: The Serials Librarian: Vol 0, No 0

Abstract:  Open Access (OA) has gained increasing importance across disciplines worldwide. The present study examines the research impact of Indian Library and Information Science (LIS) open access publications by analyzing the relationship between citation counts and Altmetric attention. Data were collected from the Scopus database, focusing on core LIS publications authored in India, resulting in a dataset of 122 open access articles. Citation data were retrieved from Scopus, while Altmetric Attention Scores were obtained from Dimensions.ai. Descriptive analyses of publication growth and OA routes were conducted using MS Excel and Tableau, and correlation analysis was performed using SPSS. This exploratory, context-specific study reveals a weak but statistically significant positive correlation between citations and Altmetric Attention Scores (r = 0.184, p = .042), suggesting that academic and societal impact metrics capture partially distinct dimensions of research influence within Indian LIS scholarship. The findings indicate that while citations reflect long-term scholarly recognition, Altmetrics capture broader online and social engagement. The study further highlights that core areas such as bibliometrics and digital libraries remain foundational, while emerging themes including artificial intelligence, sustainability, and traditional knowledge reflect the evolving academic and societal relevance of LIS research in India.