Dissertation work is traditionally a solo, perhaps isolating, endeavor. In qualitative content analysis in the social sciences, the student applies a codebook, whether of their own creation or an adaptation of an existing theory or framework, which is appropriate to their research context and method without collaborating with others. The theory of…

Narrative inquiry, a phenomenological qualitative research methodology, examines individual human experiences--stories. Yet, researchers in Library and Information Science (LIS)--a human-focused profession--have infrequently used it. This article introduces narrative inquiry and provides a literature review of the few LIS studies using it. Next,…

This Article discusses the features and the use of Metrics such as Bibliometrics, Scientometrics, Webometrics, Informetrics and Altmetrics in the field of Library and Information Science Research at present.

To understand how Geography and Geographical Information Science (GIS) can contribute to Interdisciplinary Research (IDR), it is relevant to articulate the differences between the different types of such research. "Multidisciplinary" researchers work in a "parallel play" mode, completing work in their disciplinary work streams…

This article is an exploration of ways in which LIS educators can consider culture, heritage, and identity as a framework for becoming participatory agents of their teaching practices in the LIS classroom. To support this framework, this discussion introduces the research methodology, practitioner inquiry, as a meaningful approach to studying…

Many academic librarians are interested in pursuing research studies that involve students, faculty, and other library patrons; these projects must be approved by an institutional review board (IRB). This article reviews federal requirements and regulations for human subjects research and explains the IRB application process. The author discusses…

This paper examines representative research in information science and compares its designs to an abstract ideal of the experimental research design. Threats to validity of conclusions are highlighted, including history, maturation, testing, instrumentation, statistical regression, selection biases, experimental mortality, and selection-maturation…

Presents different aspects of library and information science (LIS) from a theoretical and philosophical perspective. Topics include attitudes toward LIS; knowledge production versus knowledge utilization; specialists versus generalists; institutional affiliations; technology-driven paradigms; theoretical models; related disciplines; and research…

Surveys some of the theoretical positions that underlie various qualitative research methods and discusses the methodological issues raised by those positions for use in library and information science research. Contextualization, understanding, pluralism, and expression are discussed; and qualitative research methods are compared with a…

Discussion of user satisfaction with online searches or other products of information retrieval systems focuses on three models of satisfaction, so that the false positive of unwarranted user satisfaction can be addressed. The distinction between material and emotional satisfaction is examined, and implications for research in library and…

Discusses the problems, methods, and domains that help define social informatics and considers how it relates to information science. Topics include the relationship between uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) and organizational effects; the role of the social context; methodological pluralism; and trends in social informatics…

Introduces this journal issue which is a symposium on the theory, methods, and applications of qualitative research in the field of library and information science. Highlights include a definition of qualitative research, models of qualitative research, distinguishing features of research practice, comparisons with quantitative research, and…

Discusses the application of methodological techniques to social science Web experiments, and suggests topics in library and information science most conducive to research on the World Wide Web. Topics include causal inference; the Web as a venue for research; Web experiments versus laboratory experiments; and internal, construct, and external…

This article, second in a series analyzing information policy as a field of scholarship, compares research in information policy with output in policy studies. Concludes that there are gaps in areas where value- and paradigm-critical approaches could have impact. Argues for extending the range of research paradigms to strengthen the intellectual…

Discusses methodological issues concerning qualitative research and describes research practices that qualitative researchers use to address these methodological issues. Topics discussed include the researcher as interpreter, the emergent nature of qualitative research, understanding the experience of others, trustworthiness in qualitative…