Abstract

This paper is a preliminary study to consider the introduction of structured abstracts to Korean journals in the field of library and information science (LIS). To achieve this, we first identified examples of overseas LIS journals that have adopted structured abstracts, and analyzed the occurrence statistics of each section of structured abstracts for four journals published by Emerald Publishing that emphasize the value of research and practical/social implications sections. Considering the inherent drawback of longer abstracts, we examined the abstract policies and the abstract lengths of recently published articles of four Korean LIS journals. Additionally, we identified some cases where essential elements were missing from the Korean abstracts. Finally, a proposal for the adoption of structured abstracts for Korean LIS journals was presented, focusing on the length of abstracts and the organization of sections. It is expected that the adoption of the proposed structured abstract format will facilitate the utilization of Korean LIS research in the library and information management practice.