INF391F: Survey Research Methods
Research Project Assignment
Overview
This survey-based study is the centerpiece of the course. The final product is either a formal report or a
submission-ready journal article. We work backward from that final product, developing and analyzing a survey.
It is important to point out that some of the choices for this assignment are not completely worked out and will
depend on discussions with the students in class. So please be flexible and keep in mind that this assignment will
be a living document as we sort out the details.
The research project has five major components:
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Identifying contents of survey: interpreting and categorizing qualitative data from observations and
interviews; conducting a preliminary review of relevant literature;
Developing a sample;
Designing, piloting, and administering an online survey;
Analyzing the survey data; and
Reporting the results (either as a formal report or a journal article), due at the end of the semester.
Each student will complete the requirements for these components independently before class, then discuss and
make decisions in project groups as shown in the Project Deliverables plan on p. 2.
Research Problem
Library and information science has been taught in the U.S. for 129 years, but the day-to-day work of
professionals charged with information creation, organization, preservation, and retrieval is changing dramatically
because of the rapid advances in technology and the ubiquitous availability of information. In addition to changes
in the kind of work needed and the technical knowledge needed to accomplish it, library and information science
professionals are working with and supporting users and clients whose information needs and expectations may
be different from what the professionals have been taught. For example, the huge and diverse influx of
immigrants into the U.S. may have information needs and expectations not fully understood or addressed in
present information studies curricula. To date, iSchool students have conducted qualitative studies of three
occupational areas, social media professionals, data analysts, and records managers. It is arguable that we could
add another category or two, such as archivists and librarians, although we have no qualitative data to analyze for
them. Thus, the research issues to be addressed in this research project are:
Nature of practice: What is an everyday work day like? What technologies are used or needed? With whom does
the professional interact and why? How often do they have meetings, do they travel, etc.? What resources or
competencies would improve their ability to conduct their work? What challenges must they confront daily? What
opportunities do they leverage to address these challenges? What questions are missing?
Professional Development: What professional development do they think they need? How should that
professional development be provided? What resources are needed to make professional development possible?
What questions are missing?
Social and Technical Environment: What influence do external constituencies, such as professional societies and
associations, co-workers, supervisors, and employers have on their everyday work practices? How do technology
trends influence their individual choices? What questions are missing?
Educational Background: How were they prepared for their occupation? Was the preparation adequate in general?
How might it have been improved for general knowledge? How might it have been improved for working in the
specific environment? What recommendations would they make for information studies master’s programs in
terms of curriculum and other requirements for students? What questions are missing?
University of Texas at Austin School of Information
INF391F: Survey Research Methods | Spring 2014 | Research Project Assignment Page 1
Project Deliverables and Dates
Note that the dates are not sequential across project component categories.
Project
Component
Survey
contents
Date
Assignment Due for Class
2/3/14
Analyze interview and observation data. Form:
table showing relationships and data.
In class: share and discuss.
2/10/14
Review literature and other relevant sources.
Form: bulleted and categorized list.
In class: share and discuss.
2/17/14
Survey contents proposal. Form: “survey map,”
linking survey items to qualitative data and
literature.
In class: share and make decisions about final
survey contents.
3/17/14
Sample
2/10/14
development
Survey
design,
piloting, and
fielding
Written Product Due
(Write-up)
Write-up 1:
Rationale/problem
motivation, literature
review; describe survey
content development
process.
Describe sample, sampling method. Form: target
and rationale for selection, table.
In class: share and make decisions about
reaching sample.
3/17/14
Write-up 1: Sample
selection process.
Methods of increasing
sample size and
appealing to sample’s
values to increase
response rate.
4/21/14
Write-up 3: Describe
respondent profile.
2/17/14
Plan for piloting survey with members of target
audience. Form: brief description of process,
questions.
In class: share, discuss method, discuss locating
subjects.
2/24/14
Written survey items and response categories.
Form: table.
In class: share, discuss quality of items, possible
meaning for respondents
University of Texas at Austin School of Information
INF391F: Survey Research Methods | Spring 2014 | Research Project Assignment Page 2
3/3/14
Results of survey pilot. Form: notes.
3/3/14
Final survey in online form, piloted.
Plan for invitation, reminder scripts, and dates.
Form: scripts and table of dates.
3/15/14
Launch survey by this date. Someone needs to
monitor responses and make any corrections.
This date is in the middle of Spring Break.
3/24/14
Data
analysis
Write-up 2: Description of
design choices; pilot and
subjects, refinements.
Description of invitation,
survey launch, reminder
dates, length of time
survey open.
3/31/14
Codebook. Form: table.
4/7/14
Sorted, cleaned data. Form: Spreadsheet or
SPSS file.
Plan for managing missing data. Form:
explanation.
In class: generate descriptive statistics.
4/14/14
Plan for scale development, inferential statistics
choices.
In class: test scales, run inferential tests
4/21/14
4/28/14
Reporting
results
5/2/14
Write-up 3: Descriptive
statistics, how missing
data managed.
Describe results of statistical analysis and
implications. Form: bulleted list, table.
In class: discuss
Final product due
Introduction, motivation/
rationale, literature
review, methods,
respondent profile,
results, discussion,
conclusion.
University of Texas at Austin School of Information
INF391F: Survey Research Methods | Spring 2014 | Research Project Assignment Page 3