Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi Library and Information Sciences 1680-9637 27 4 2025 02 19 An Analysis of Literacy Research in Iran: The Conceptual Structure of Literacy in Islamic World Science Citation Center An Analysis of Literacy Research in Iran: The Conceptual Structure of Literacy in Islamic World Science Citation Center 195 220 205687 10.30481/lis.2024.474041.2189 FA Saleh Rahimi * Corresponding author, Associate Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. 0000-0001-6540-9825 Faramarz Soheili Associate Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0003-2581-7052 Ali Akbar Khasseh Associate Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0001-5664-4671 Journal Article 2024 08 18 Objective: Literacy encompasses various aspects, including education, research, schools, and universities. It refers to the ability to read, write, and understand information. Achieving literacy is crucial for individual excellence, family well-being, and national progress. It also fosters meaningful connections between individuals, their families, and society. This study examines the conceptual structure of literacy-related research in the Islamic World Science Citation Database (ISC) and identifies subdomains and important dimensions of the literacy concept. Methodology: The research employs bibliometric techniques and co-occurrence analysis of terms. The documents from the ISC Database were extracted. The extracted data over the past 25 years (from 1999 to 2023) consisted of 1137 documents. After extracting keywords, standardization and normalization of concepts were performed. For example, singular and plural words were unified, acronyms were transformed into complete phrases, and so on. Following standardization, 4514 unique keywords remained. To create a co-occurrence map, the software VOSviewer was utilized. Cluster analysis and strategic diagrams were used to visualize the conceptual structure of literacy research. Findings: Ten clusters related to literacy were identified: Information literacy, Digital literacy, Media literacy, Health literacy, Environmental literacy, Literacy assessment tools, Health literacy, Critical thinking, Combination of information literacy and health literacy, Lifestyle and health literacy. Additionally, through content analysis of articles published during the 25-year period, emerging topics in the field of literacy were identified. The results obtained from analyzing data related to literacy indicate that a total of 1137 documents with the word “literacy” in their titles have been published. Concepts such as "health literacy", "information literacy", and "media literacy" were ranked first, second, and third in terms of frequency, respectively. The keyword “health literacy” has the highest frequency, indicating that it is a central concept in literacy-related texts. Other keywords include financial literacy and environmental literacy. The frequency of the health literacy concept is influenced by researchers’ attention to health issues in society, as well as the impact of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 and other conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is essential for individuals to receive education and awareness related to this topic. Conclusion: The results of this study can contribute to a comprehensive understanding of current research domains and provide guidelines for researchers to initiate new studies. Furthermore, this research showed that health literacy has garnered the most attention and holds significant importance among researchers. Persian studies are aligned with international research in the fields of information literacy, digital literacy, and environmental literacy. However, financial literacy, despite its importance in global research, requires more attention in Persian studies. Objective: Literacy encompasses various aspects, including education, research, schools, and universities. It refers to the ability to read, write, and understand information. Achieving literacy is crucial for individual excellence, family well-being, and national progress. It also fosters meaningful connections between individuals, their families, and society. This study examines the conceptual structure of literacy-related research in the Islamic World Science Citation Database (ISC) and identifies subdomains and important dimensions of the literacy concept. Methodology: The research employs bibliometric techniques and co-occurrence analysis of terms. The documents from the ISC Database were extracted. The extracted data over the past 25 years (from 1999 to 2023) consisted of 1137 documents. After extracting keywords, standardization and normalization of concepts were performed. For example, singular and plural words were unified, acronyms were transformed into complete phrases, and so on. Following standardization, 4514 unique keywords remained. To create a co-occurrence map, the software VOSviewer was utilized. Cluster analysis and strategic diagrams were used to visualize the conceptual structure of literacy research. Findings: Ten clusters related to literacy were identified: Information literacy, Digital literacy, Media literacy, Health literacy, Environmental literacy, Literacy assessment tools, Health literacy, Critical thinking, Combination of information literacy and health literacy, Lifestyle and health literacy. Additionally, through content analysis of articles published during the 25-year period, emerging topics in the field of literacy were identified. The results obtained from analyzing data related to literacy indicate that a total of 1137 documents with the word “literacy” in their titles have been published. Concepts such as "health literacy", "information literacy", and "media literacy" were ranked first, second, and third in terms of frequency, respectively. The keyword “health literacy” has the highest frequency, indicating that it is a central concept in literacy-related texts. Other keywords include financial literacy and environmental literacy. The frequency of the health literacy concept is influenced by researchers’ attention to health issues in society, as well as the impact of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 and other conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is essential for individuals to receive education and awareness related to this topic. Conclusion: The results of this study can contribute to a comprehensive understanding of current research domains and provide guidelines for researchers to initiate new studies. Furthermore, this research showed that health literacy has garnered the most attention and holds significant importance among researchers. Persian studies are aligned with international research in the fields of information literacy, digital literacy, and environmental literacy. However, financial literacy, despite its importance in global research, requires more attention in Persian studies.

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