The publisher and the Editors-in-Chief of Library Hi Tech are issuing an Expression of Concern for the following work, Verma MK, Yuvaraj M (2025), “What's up in WhatsApp research: a comprehensive analysis of 12,947 papers indexed in Dimensions.ai”. Library Hi Tech, Vol. 43 No. 2-3 pp. 477-512, doi: Link to the DOI. An investigation by the publisher revealed concerns with the journal's historical editorial practices. Specifically, that the journal engaged in coercive citation practices when the article was originally processed by the prior editorial team, and the following 16 references to Library Hi Tech have been identified as inappropriate in accordance with Emerald's policy on citation manipulation despite their general alignment with the subject of the article:
Alam, S., Zardari, S. and Shamsi, J. (2023), “Comprehensive three-phase bibliometric assessment on the blockchain (2012–2020)”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 287-308, doi: 10.1108/LHT-07-2021-0244.
Awan, W.A. and Abbas, A. (2023), “Mapping the quantity, quality and structural indicators of Asian (48 countries and 3 territories) research productivity on cloud computing”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 309-332, doi: 10.1108/LHT-07-2021-0233.
Chiu, D.K.W. and Ho, K.K.W. (2023), “Editorial: special selection on contemporary bibliometric analytics”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 277-286, doi: 10.1108/LHT-04-2023-586.
Fasae, J.K., Adekoya, C.O. and Adegbilero-Iwari, I. (2021), “Academic libraries' response to the COVID19 pandemic in Nigeria”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 696-710, doi: 10.1108/LHT-07- 2020-0166.
Hasan, M.R., Deng, S., Sultana, N. and Hossain, M.Z. (2021), “The applicability of blockchain technology in healthcare contexts to contain COVID-19 challenges”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 814-833, doi: 10.1108/lht-02-2021-0071.
Hui, S.C., Kwok, M.Y., Kong, E.W.S. and Chiu, D.K.W. (2023), “Information security and technical issues of cloud storage services: a qualitative study on university students in Hong Kong”, Library Hi Tech, ahead-of-print, doi: 10.1108/LHT-11-2022-0533.
Li, Y., Zhou, C., Wu, D. and Chen, M. (2023b), “Evaluation of teachers' information literacy based on information of behavioral data in online learning and teaching platforms: an empirical study of China”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 4, pp. 1039-1062, doi: 10.1108/LHT-01-2021-0034.
Li, L., Li, A., Song, X., Li, X., Huang, K. and Ye, E.M. (2023a), “Characterizing response quantity on academic social Q&A sites: a multidiscipline comparison of linguistic characteristics of questions”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 921-938, doi: 10.1108/LHT-05-2021-0161.
Moorefield-Lang, H.M. (2017), “Delivering the message: disseminating information and professional development in the field of librarianship through technology”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 81-91, doi: 10.1108/LHT-04-2016-0039.
Okunlaya, R.O., Syed Abdullah, N. and Alias, R.A. (2022), “Artificial intelligence (AI) library services innovative conceptual framework for the digital transformation of university education”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 40 No. 6, pp. 1869-1892, doi: 10.1108/LHT-07-2021-0242.
Prebor, G. (2023), “When feminism meets social networks”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 969-990, doi: 10.1108/LHT-02-2021-0074..
Schmidt, F. (2008), “Meta-analysis: a constantly evolving research integration tool”, Organizational Research Methods, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 96-113, doi: 10.1177/1094428107303161.
Shen, C.-W., Chang, L.-C. and Su, T.-C. (2021), “Research development of Bitcoin: a network and concept linking analysis”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 39 No. 2, pp. 488-505, doi: 10.1108/LHT-10-2019-0210.
Wang, D., Zhong, D. and Li, L. (2022), “A comprehensive study of the role of cloud computing on the information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) processes”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 40 No. 6, pp. 1954-1975, doi: 10.1108/LHT-01-2021-0031.
Yoon, J. and Syn, S.Y. (2023), “The effects of visual formats on Facebook health-related posts: evidence from eye movement analysis”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 833-852, doi: 10.1108/LHT-10- 2021-0360.
Yu, P.Y., Lam, E.T.H. and Chiu, D.K.W. (2023), “Operation management of academic libraries in Hong Kong under COVID-19”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 108-129, doi: 10.1108/LHT-10- 2021-0342.
Zhang, K. and Lu, P. (2023), “What are the key indicators for evaluating the service satisfaction of WeChat official accounts in Chinese academic libraries?”, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 788-806, doi: 10.1108/LHT-07-2021-0218.
The article's findings, theoretical contributions, and conclusions currently remain intact, but the journal and publisher have taken the decision to publish an Expression of Concern to alert readers to this issue and as trust in the content is central to the integrity of the publication process. This decision has been informed by COPE's guidelines on Expressions of Concern and Emerald's publishing ethics policies. The publisher of the journal sincerely apologizes to the readers and authors of this article, who were not found to be involved in any malpractice.
