UCLA

Using full-text database searches and other bibliometric techniques, this thesis tracks, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the visible use of two of Foucault’s major early works related to discourse analysis from a large sample of LIS scholarly journals. This study found citations of the two works to be relatively limited and general, with LIS scholars preferring later works by Foucault and secondary sources regarding Foucault. Users of secondary discussions of the books also favored general rather than specific explorations of Foucauldian ideas. Citation of the works tended to concentrate especially in a core of academically oriented journals, yet the books also get cited and used in more standard, practical LIS journals. This study suggests possible reasons for the comparatively modest visible use of Foucault’s two important early works.