Research Methods in Information Science

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.

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

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