From Scholarly Communication Support to the Transformation of Library Research Support Services: A Bibliometric Analysis and Scoping Review

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to examine the transformation of university library research support services from scholarly communication support to integrated research support services within the context of open science. By combining bibliometric analysis with a scoping review, the study explores the intellectual evolution of the field, identifies major research trends and thematic developments, synthesizes emerging service models and institutional practices, and examines the drivers, barriers, and competencies associated with this transformation. The findings provide a comprehensive understanding of how academic libraries are repositioning their roles and offer practical implications for developing sustainable, research-oriented support services in higher education. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a bibliometric analysis combined with a scoping review using data retrieved from the Scopus database. An adapted PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework guided the identification of research trends and knowledge gaps. Bibliometric analyses were performed using the Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny package in R, while VOSviewer was used for network visualization. Furthermore, thematic qualitative content analysis was applied to the selected studies to synthesize research support service models, emerging practices, transformation pathways, and key developments in scholarly communication within the evolving open science and digital research ecosystem. Findings – The findings indicate that research on the transformation of research support services in relation to scholarly communication has expanded substantially during the period 2016-2026, reflecting a shift from traditional library services toward an open research ecosystem. Bibliometric analysis identified major research themes, including open access, open science, research data management, scholarly communication, and scholarly publishing. It revealed the growing prominence of AI, research visibility, and research impact assessment. The scoping review further demonstrates that scholarly communication has evolved beyond publication support to encompass the entire research lifecycle, driving the transformation of academic libraries from information providers to strategic research partners. Academic libraries are increasingly engaged in research data management, open access publishing, bibliometric services, research capacity building, and digital research infrastructure management. Nevertheless, this transformation continues to face challenges related to institutional policies, digital infrastructure, financial and human resources, professional competencies, and traditional research evaluation systems, highlighting the need for coordinated institutional, technological, and workforce development to establish sustainable open research ecosystems. Research limitations/implications – This study has several limitations. First, the analysis was limited to Scopus-indexed publications, potentially excluding relevant studies from other databases and grey literature. Second, the bibliometric findings reflect publication patterns rather than the effectiveness of research support services in practice. Despite these limitations, the study provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of scholarly communication support. It offers evidence to inform the development of research support services, professional competencies, and institutional Open Science strategies in academic libraries. Practical implications – This study contributes to the systematic integration of research domains that have traditionally been examined separately, including open access, open science, research data management, scholarly communication, and research support services, into a unified analytical framework based on the research ecosystem perspective. The findings not only clarify major developmental trends, areas of consensus, and ongoing debates within the field but also identify important research gaps that warrant further investigation, particularly regarding the evaluation of research support services' effectiveness, the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI/GenAI), and cross-national differences in research support practices. Originality/value – This study is among the first to integrate bibliometric analysis with a scoping review to provide a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of research support services in academic libraries. It extends existing scholarship by conceptualizing research support services as an integrated research ecosystem rather than a collection of isolated scholarly communication activities. The study synthesizes evidence on the relationships among scholarly communication, open science, digital research infrastructure, research data management, and emerging technologies, offering a unified analytical framework for interpreting service transformation. The findings contribute to both theory and practice by informing future research, supporting strategic library planning, and guiding the development of sustainable research support services aligned with institutional research priorities and open science agendas.