Research Methods in Information Science

Basrelief sculpture "Research holding the torch of knowledge" (1896) by Olin Levi Warner. Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.

This book provides a survey of methods commonly used by researchers to develop new knowledge in Library and Information Science. This book also includes a brief overview of methods used to assess library services.

Fundamentals of research

• Characteristics of the research process
• Identifying research problems
• Epistemologies
• Research design
• Choosing a sample
• Ethical research
• Research data management
• Presenting research results

Methods

• The historical method
• The research survey
• The descriptive survey
• Observational methods
• The collection assessment
• The ethnography
• The case study
• Bibliometric methods
• Content and narrative analyses
• Usability and user experience studies
• Technical services and cataloging studies
• The experimental method
• The log analysis
• Knowledge synthesis
• Theoretical approaches
• Management and operational research
• Mixed methods research

Related Wikibooks

• Introduction to Library and Information Science
• Research Methods
• Statistics