Research Methods: Information, Systems, and Contexts

Research Methods: Information, Systems, and Contexts, Second Edition, presents up-to-date guidance on how to teach research methods to graduate students and professionals working in information management, information science, librarianship, archives, and records and information systems. It provides a coherent and precise account of current research themes and structures, giving students guidance, appreciation of the scope of research paradigms, and the consequences of specific courses of action. Each of these valuable sections will help users determine the relevance of particular approaches to their own questions. The book presents academics who teach research and information professionals who carry out research with new resources and guidance on lesser-known research paradigms.

Provides up-to-date knowledge of research methods and their applicationsProvides a coherent and precise account of current research themes and structures through chapters written by authors who are experts in their fieldsHelps students and researchers understand the range of quantitative and qualitative approaches available for research, as well as how to make practical use of themProvides many illustrations from projects in which authors have been involved, to enhance understandingEmphasises the nexus between formulation of research question and choice of research methodologyEnables new researchers to understand the implications of their planning decisions

Section I Foundations and Framing 1. Research concepts 2. The fundamentals of research planning 3. Information research: Patterns and practice 4. Archival and recordkeeping research: Past, present and future 5. The methodological landscape: Information systems and knowledge management

Section II Research Methods 6. Survey designs 7. Case study research in information systems 8. Action research: Theory and practice 9. Constructivist grounded theory: A 21st century research methodology 10. Bibliometric research 11. Design-science research 12. Researching history 13. Ethnographic research 14. Experimental research

Section III Research Techniques 15. Populations and samples 16. Questionnaires, individual interviews and focus group interviews 17. Observation 18. Quantitative data analysis 19. Qualitative data analysis

Section IV Research Practice and Communication 20. Ethical research practices 21. Managing research data 22. Research writing and dissemination

Section V Information Research: Reflections on Past and Future 23. The future of information research