Research methods in information / Alison Jane Pickard ; with contributions from Sue Childs [and others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pickard, Alison Jane, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Information science--Research--Methodology.

Information science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxii, 361 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

London : Facet, 2013.

Summary:

The long-awaited 2nd edition of this best-selling research methods handbook is fully updated and includes brand new coverage of online research methods and techniques, mixed methodology and qualitative analysis. This edition includes two new contributed chapters: Professor Julie McLeod, Sue Childs and Elizabeth Lomas focus on research data management, applying evidence from the recent JISC funded ‘DATUM’ project; Dr Andrew Shenton examines strategies for analysing existing documents.

Contents:

Introduction

Setting the content

The research hierarchy

Overview of contents

Part 1 Starting the research process

Major research paradigms

Introduction

Positivist research

Postpositivism and mixed methods research (MMR)

Interpretivist research

Qualitative or quantitative methodology?

Qualitative research design

Quantitative research design

Mixed methods research

Criteria for judging research

Establishing trustworthiness in qualitative research

Establishing rigour in quantitative research

Summary

Practical exercise

Suggested further reading

Reviewing literature

Information searching and retrieval

Evaluation

Critical analysis

Synthesizing the research: developing a theoretical framework

Defining the research

Designing a conceptual framework

The research hypothesis

Research aims and objectives

The research proposal

Why write a proposal?

Structure of a research proposal

The proposal as a research framework

Sampling

Why sample?

Population and sample

Probability sampling

Purposive sampling

Research data management

Ethics in research

Gaining access to the field

Informed consent

Anonymity and confidentiality?

Protecting participants

Ethics online

Suggested further reading.

Part 2 Research methods

Case studies

Phases in case study research

Surveys

Descriptive surveys

Explanatory surveys

The survey process

Experimental research

The nature of causality

The true experiment

Quasi-experimental design: the 'effects study'

Usability testing

Quasi experimental usability studies

Cognitive walkthroughs

Heuristic evaluation

Ethnography

Components of ethnographic study

Virtual ethnography

Ethics in ethnography

Delphi study

The Delphi process

Rules of a Delphi study

Modifying a Delphi study

Delphi studies and new technologies

Action research

The action research cycle

Trustworthiness in action research

Action research as reflective practice

Historical research

The research process

Grounded theory: method or analysis?

Defining grounded theory

Part 3 Data collection techniques

Interviews

What is the purpose of an interview?

The seven stages of the interview process

Online interviewing

Questionnaires

Designing questionnaires

Developing questions

Scale items

Forms of questionnaire

Observation

The role of the observer

Recording what you see: going with signposts

Diaries

The purpose of diaries in research

Participant diaries

The researcher's log

Structure and recording

Focus groups

The purpose of a focus group

Organizing a focus group

Online focus groups

Analysis of existing, extnernally created material

The different supporting roles of documents

LIS research principally based on documents

Citation analysis

Logs associated with computer software and the use of ICT.

Part 4 Data analysis and research presentation

Qualitative analysis

Phenomenological strategies

Ethnographic methods

Narrative and discourse analysis

Constant comparative analysis

Memo writing

Presenting qualitative findings

Software for qualitative analysis

Quantitative analysis

Levels of measurement

Frequency distribution

Cross-tabulation

Measures of central tendency

Measures of dispersion

Correlation

Displaying data

Testing for statistical significance

Software for quantitative analysis

Presenting the research

Planning the final report

Form and structure

Glossary and references.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Jul 2018).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781783300235

178330023X