Page 82 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

SU Xinning / The discipline system, academic system and discourse system of information science with Chinese characteristics 081

basic theories applied in the process in which information is generated, and the knowledge system
are constantly expanded and growing mature, except that the objects of these theories are different,
including literature, information and network resources. Today, we have entered the era of big data.
The theories of data science and AI technologies all affect the research of information science. The
theories of information science need to be expanded and innovated urgently, and new knowledge
is required. Of course, the new academic system of information science must keep “integrity” in
mind in the process of expansion.

2.3 Discourse system of information science highlighting information

“Discourse” refers to the spoken or written language of the people. The discourse system of a
discipline represents the way of expression that uses the key knowledge and basic theories of
the discipline to elaborate on specific issues. The discourse system of information science refers
to the use of information theories, information thinking, and information knowledge to interpret
academic issues and solve practical problems. To be specific, information knowledge is used to
lay the foundation of discourse, information theories are used to establish the core discourse, and
information thinking is used to show the techniques of discourse, so as to reflect the confidence,
innovation and key power of discourse of information science. The power of discourse of
information science comes from the knowledge system of the discipline and requires greater
confidence and accountability of the discipline.
The function of discourse system is mainly realized through the power of discourse, including
not only the right, but also the effect and influence of discourse. The power of discourse is mainly
reflected by the influence of it, such as whether the speaker is able to make an impact on the ideas
and behaviors of others, and on the policies of decision-making bodies. The discourse system and
core power of discourse of information science are mainly reflected in the following six areas.
(1) Information discourse on patterns of literature and scientific evaluation
The earliest basic theories of information science are mostly founded upon literature, such as
the Law of Bradford that reflects the law of distribution of literature, Zipf’s Law reflecting the
frequency of works in literature, Lotka’s Law reflecting the distribution of authors, and other
theories that reflect the law of growth and aging of scientific and technological literature. In recent
decades, the information science community has created citation index based on the literature
citation relations, and proposed a great many theories on the citation analysis of literature. On that
basis, with the help of literature related theories, the discourse power of information science in core
journals, citation index, citation analysis, journal evaluation and academic evaluation should be
reflected. The academia shall truly understand their roles and functions and avoid misinterpreting
or misusing them. Take citation index as an example. It is not only used to evaluate journals but
also to understand the origin of science, show the intersection of disciplines or research fields,
uncover academic communities, and evaluate the academic influence objectively. At the same time,