Cuban research in Information Sciences: The case of postgraduate studies (2008-2018)

Abstract

Objective: The state of Cuban research in the Information Sciences field was examined from an empirical incursion in the master’s and doctoral thesis defended between 2008 and 2018.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Bibliometric indicators of production and scientific collaboration combined with social network analysis techniques are used.
Results/Discussion: In terms of output, the results pointed to the high applied character of the investigations and to a thematic diversity. The research potential focuses on the solution of information problems in the higher education sectors, in the case of the PhD thesis. In the case of the master’s degree, it focuses mainly on the business sectors, public health and the information institutions themselves. Regarding the scientific relationships established for conducting investigations, substantial differences are detected in the levels of postgraduate training. In the master’s degree, they are incipient while in the doctorate important relations were developed with the University of Granada, Spain.
Conclusions: The study of defended thesis in the postgraduate training programs in CI in Cuba confirms a female professional field, thematically focused on information literacy, the evaluation of university libraries, document, information and knowledge management in organizations and metric research. With patterns of collaboration for tutoring that demand to be perfected.
Originality/Value: Obtaining systematized, updated and relevant information for the strategic projection of the postgraduate Cuban training in Information Sciences.