RESEARCH IN LIBRARIANSHIP &
REPORT WRITING
16 & 17 July 2012
UPSI
Research in Librarianship and Report Writing
Nor Edzan Che Nasir
Library
Universiti Malaya
OUTLINE
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Biodata
Introduction
Research in Librarianship
Sources of Information
Where to Publish
Funding
References
BIODATA
• Diploma in Fisheries – ITM
• B.Sc. (Hons) – USM
– Conversion rate of Tilapia mossambica
• PGD Info Mgmt (Lib’ship) - UNSW
• M.Sc (Info Studies) – LMU
– Use of CD-ROM databases by Malaysian
postgraduate students in Leeds
• PhD – UM
– Modeling an information literacy programme for
undergraduates: a soft systems methodology
approach
• Librarian in USM from 1983 & UM from
1991
• Started writing in UM as a group – 2
bibliographies, 1 listing of project
papers/dissertation/listing
• Started writing articles in 1996 after
returning from M.Sc – 2 articles – 1 on
dissertation and 1 an assignment done in
M.Sc.
• Academician in 1999 – wrote journal articles
and conference papers – based on research
• Chief Librarian – continue writing but mostly
conference papers and ppt slides
INTRODUCTION
• “The history of research in “library science” in
Japan dates back to the late 1800s when libraries
were imported from the West, whereas research in
“library and information science (LIS)” started in
1967. This article outlines a brief overview of LIS
research in Japan after 1967, especially in recent
years. LIS research in Japan is divided into two
prominent types: one is carried out by researchers
in universities, and the other by library
practitioners. Both of them are further diversified
according to library types and subjects.”
• National Diet Library, 2007
• Research in librarianship in Malaysia
– librarians – none at all
– LIS academics and postgraduates – yes
– librarians and LIS academics - yes
• However, all of us have done
research either at undergraduate level
and/or postgraduate level
• Why?
• Why are librarians not conducting
research? (Versoza, 2007)
– lack of research-mindedness
– overwhelmed by the professional literature
– research jargon discourages librarians from
reading the research literature
– need to keep up with emerging information,
technology and service responsibilities
– inadequate education/training in research
methods
– perception that research is lacking in practical
applications or mission orientation
– funding
– new resistance to change in research ideas
• Why do we need to conduct research?
(Versoza, 2007)
– improve problem solving and decision making in
the workplace
– contribute to career advancement for librarians
– improve ability to think critically and analytically,
improve staff morale, and enhance the library’s
status within its community
– create new knowledge and thereby contribute to
the growth of LIS as a profession or discipline
– make library professionals critical consumers of
the research literature
– better equip librarians to provide optimal
information services to researchers in other
fields.
• Importantly :
• We have to document about our library
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History
Development
People
Activities
Success stories
• Where?
– Annual Report
– Newspapers
– Journals – LINK, Jurnal PPM
RESEARCH IN LIBRARIANSHIP
• Research is defined as systematic
gathering of data and information and its
analysis for advancement of knowledge in
any subject
• Research attempts to answer intellectual
and practical questions
• Types of research
– Applied versus Fundamental Research
– Descriptive versus Analytical Research
– Qualitative versus Quantitative Research
– Conceptual versus Empirical Research
Applied – Fundamental Research
• Applied research is used to solve problems
– use basic research, knowledge, theories to
solve problems
• Fundamental or basic or pure research is
undertaken to increase knowledge, no
direct benefit, research for research sake,
conducted to satisfy curiosity
– basic research is purely theoretical to increase
our understanding of certain phenomena or
behavior but does not seek to solve any existing
problem.
Descriptive – Analytical Research
• Descriptive research - attempts to
determine, describe, or identify what is,
– The descriptive research uses description,
classification, measurement, and comparison to
describe what phenomenon are.
– Examining the usage pattern of e-books
• Analytical research attempts to
establish why it is that way or how it came
to be.
– The analytical research usually concerns itself
with cause-effect relationships.
– Identifying the reasons why students are not
using e-books
Quantitative – Qualitative Research
• Qualitative research is used to explore and
understand people's beliefs, experiences,
attitudes, behaviour and interactions.
– It generates non- numerical data
– A user’s description of how difficult it is to use
online databases
• Quantitative research generates numerical
data or data that can be converted into
numbers.
– The number of online databases a user and the
amount of downloads
Research Methodology –
Research Methods
• Research methodology - deals with general
approaches or guidelines to conducting
research.
– provides the principles for organizing, planning,
designing, and conducting research
– it does not provide the details on how to conduct
a specific, individual research.
• Research methods - provide the specific
details of how one accomplishes a research
task
– procedures and methods
Research Methods in Librarianship
• Kellie, 2012.
• Graphs
– Quantitative methods present information
visually for the researcher. Graphs typically
answer the question of "how often?" or "how
many?“
– The use of library patron statistical data within
graphs, such as how many patrons visit a library
on a given day, helps the library determine
operation hours.
• Bibliometrics
– the measurement of interrelated aspects of
writing, publication, and usage, including citation
analysis.
– determine the popularity or influence of a
specific author or text which will help the library
to determine if a specific text is worth buying.
• Observation
– uses the senses to obtain information about a
particular human behavior or object. Provides
the opportunity for raw, in-depth data collection
– by observing a library patron's frustration with a
certain new technology, observation may
conclude that the library needs to provide
additional instruction for the patrons.
• Interviews
– gathers information from conversations and
questions between a researcher and subject.
– examines the "why?" and "how?" behind a
problem or human behavior.
– interviewing rural library directors regarding the
specific issues a rural library may face during a
difficult economy.
• Surveys
– carefully constructed questions.
– determine the opinions of library patrons
regarding new library hours or how often a
patron participates in library events.
• Focus Groups
– assemble focus groups for the purpose of
obtaining opinions, feedback or beliefs about a
particular product or idea.
– a focus group may provide feedback about a
possible new library reference service.
• Statistics
– Collection and analysis of numerical data for
research which offer a tool for librarians to
predict trends within library science
– Growing use of electronic databases within
academic libraries during a specific time period.
Group Work
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
• Databases
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SAGE Research Methods Online (SRMO)
LISA: Library and Information Science Abstracts
Emerald
Library Literature & Information Science Full
Text (H.W. Wilson)
• Institutional repositories
– General
– Subject specific
• LIScholar
• e-lis
WHERE TO PUBLISH
• Non-refereed journals
– Kekal Abadi
– Jurnal PPM
– Sekitar
• Refereed journals
– Malaysian Journal of Library and
Information Science
– Others – search in Scopus or WOS
FUNDING
• Internal
– Library
– University
• External
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Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
PPM
Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi
Kementerian Kebudayaan, Kesenian & Warisan
FELDA
Application for Funding
• Obtain and fill-in forms
• Write a proposal
– Introduction
– Literature Review
– Methodology
– Expected outcomes
– Costing
– Timeline/Gantt Chart
REFERENCES
• KellieG, 2012. Research Methods in Library
Science. Available at:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6920707_researchmethods-library-science.html
• National Diet Library, 2007. Research in library and
information science in Japan. CDNLAO Newsletter,
60. Available at:
http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/cdnlao/newsletter/060/601.
html
• Versoza, A.M. 2007. Research in Librarianship:
Challenges, Competencies, and Strategies. PLAISTRLC Seminar-Workshop, 9-10 October 2007,
Laguna. Available at:
http://paarl.wikispaces.com/file/view/Research_in_
Librarianship_keynote_speech.pdf
YESTERDAY …
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4 possible topics
Usage of print collection
Print book budget
Usage of electronic dbases &
journals
• Competency of librarians
• Others????
OTHER TOPICS?
REPORT WRITING
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Different format for different writings
Report
Conference paper
Journal article
Lots of instructions, guidelines, recordings
on report writing
REPORT – (U of Canberra, 2012)
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Aims to inform - clear and succinct
Easy to read
Professional in its presentation
Structure
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Title page*
Table of contents
List of abbreviations and/or glossary
Executive summary/abstract
Introduction*
Body*
Conclusion*
Recommendations
Bibliography
Appendices
• Abstract (Summary or Executive Summary)
– summary of the report
– one sentence (or so) for every main section of
your report - eg. include:
• the context of the research
• the purpose of the report
• the major findings (you may need several
sentences here)
• the conclusions
• the main recommendations
• Write the abstract after you have written the
report.
• Introduction
– Give enough background information to
provide a context for the report.
– State the purpose of the report.
– Clarify key terms and indicate the scope
of the report (ie what the report will
cover).
• Body - content depends on the purpose of
the report, primary or secondary research.
• Primary research - based on own
observations and experiments - include:
– Literature review (what other people have
written about this topic. The literature review
should lead towards your research question.
– Method - summarises what you did and why use past tense.
– Findings or results - describes what you
discovered, observed, etc, in your observations
and experiments - use the past tense.
– Discussion - discusses and explains your
findings and relates them to previous research use the present tense to make generalisations.
• Secondary research - based on readings
only - include:
– Information organised under appropriate topics
with sub-headings
• synthesise material from different sources
under topic headings.
– Analysis/discussion of the sources you are
reporting
• Conclusion
– Sum up the main points of the report
– Conclusion should clearly relate to the
objectives of your report
RESULTS BEYOND ACTIVITIES
ANALYTICAL AND NOT DESCRIPTIVE
CONFERENCE PAPERS (Carpenter,
2010
• Select Your Topic
– What are the types of
papers/posters/presentations?
– What topics are listed in the Call for Papers?
– What aspect(s) of your work would be of interest
to this audience?
– What do abstracts and papers for this
conference look like (check out past conference
proceedings)?
– Do you know anyone who has had a paper
accepted for this conference?
– Consider adding a co-author
• Writing and Submitting Your Abstract
– Re-read the requirements (word count, format,
font, etc.) in the Call for Papers.
– Briefly summarize the context, problem,
approach, solution, future work (save details
for the paper).
– Highlight what is interesting about your work.
– Use a professional tone and correct
mechanics.
– Use a descriptive and interesting title.
– Have a mentor/colleague review your abstract
for clarity and correctness.
– Submit your abstract well before the deadline
• Writing and Submitting Your Paper
– Your paper should include: Abstract,
Introduction, Background, Main Body, Future
Work, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, and
References.
– Follow the requirements for format, length, etc.
– Use pictures, charts, tables, lists to
communicate information, examples, data,
results (number & title).
– Start early, write several drafts, have a mentor
or colleague review the paper, submit early.
– Use a professional tone and correct mechanics.
• Reviews and How to Use Them
– Some conference review papers and some don’t
– Reviews are an opportunity to improve your
paper, as well as your overall communication
skills.
– Reviews reflect the personal tastes of the
reviewer.
– Some reviewers are more professional/helpful
than others.
– Share your reviews with a trusted mentor if you
need assistance responding to them.
– Submit your revised paper early
• General Tips
– You can submit papers on different aspects of
your project to different conferences, but not the
same paper to more than one conference
– Know the prestige/acceptance rate of the
conference/papers – don’t aim too high or too
low.
– Determine if a poster vs. a paper is the best fit.
– Submit a poster & a paper (not on same topic),
attend a workshop, volunteer to moderate a
session.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
• In order to get an article published you first
must write one.
• Study the most timely topics in the field –
uniqueness, future mindedness, and current
interests are usually the best bet.
• Study the journals - all provide clues to the
type of content areas or topics being
accepted. Main point: Select the one
seemingly best suited for your manuscript.
• Study the techniques of writing and the
writing techniques expected for a specific
journal.
• Get it written - write a first draft without
worry about correctness and exact
wording, let it rest for a few days, then
rewrite and polish it. Ask others to read for
feedback.
• The lead to an article is very important – it
needs to grab a reader’s attention, so
spend lots of time in the development
process.
• Submit a perfect copy to the journal; it
should be word-processed, clean,
appropriate stylistically, etc.
• Never submit a manuscript to more than
one publisher at a time
• Understand and adhere to the stylistic
guidelines required by any periodical to
which you intend to submit a manuscript
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Title
Abstract
Introduction
Materials & methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
• Report writing
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A
FGNKJruxdg
• The literature review
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK
L2pdRmwc4&feature=related
REFERENCES
• Carpenter, Jenna P. 2010. How to Write and
Submit a Conference Paper. Available at:
http://www.latech.edu/coes/assets/owise/How_to_
Write-Submit_a_Conference_Paper.pdf
• Hiemstra, Roger. 2007. Tips for Greater Success in
Writing Journal Articles. Available at: http://wwwdistance.syr.edu/writingtips.html
• University of Canberra. 2012. Report writing.
Available at:
http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/repo
rts