LIS403,
The Role of Research
Spring 2005
G. Benoit, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Simmons College, GSLIS
About the class
• Thematic-based
– Each theme represents an aspect of research
that librarians should know
– Assignment at the end of each theme
• Readings, slides, discussion, hands-on
• We’ll progress as needs/interests dictate
• If there’s something you’d like to explore,
or you have questions, feel free to ask!
About the class
• Themes:
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Craft of research
Critiquing research
Trends in LIS research
Analysis of data
Practice of research
From
General
To
Specific
LIS
needs
Life cycle of research
Class web page
http://web.simmons.edu/~benoit/LIS403/index.html
• Assignments page
– Detailed instructions
– Guidelines
– Due dates
• Readings
– All linked to our homepage
– Babbie as alternative to Powell
Any questions, thoughts,
ideas?
Expectations of the course?
What is research?
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Definitions of research
Why research is important
Overview of research process
Why the course is valuable
What is research?
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Significant difference between everyday
use of the term and the scientific or
academic use:
• Oxford English Dictionary:
1. “the act of searching (closely and
carefully) for or after a specified thing or
person”
2. “a search or investigation directed to the
discovery of some fact by careful
consideration or study of a subject; a
course of critical or scientific inquiry”
What is research?
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Dangerous when people or organization
does “casual research” (definition no. 1)
but implies
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They’ve done scientific research (def. #2)
Results should therefore be taken as fact
And that the results are reliable and valid.
In fact, critical or scientific inquiry (def.
#2) is a formal process, intended to
produce results that are reliable, valid,
replicable, and contribute to existing
knowledge.
What is not research
• The term research often is used for things,
on their own at least, are not true research:
• Going to the library to look up something
(e.g., a literature search)
• Finding facts to prove something
• “How I did it…” papers
• Publications that use data
• “information gathering”
• Searching for data when writing an essay
• Compiling facts in written form
General definition/criteria
• Research: systematic process of
collecting and analyzing data or
information in order to increase
understanding of a phenomenon.
• Inquiry process
• Formal process of problem solving
• Set of procedures or steps
• Originates with a question or problem
• Statement of a goal and a specific plan of
research approach … (con’t)
General definition/criteria
• Often breaks down the overall problem
into manageable sub-problems
• Requires the
– Collection,
– Interpretation, and
– Analysis of data
• Often is an iterative process
– Research builds on previous research
– Reflected in the ‘literature review’ section
Why is research important?
• What do you think?
Why is research important?
• Formal research can guard against the
dangers of casual inquiry
• Fundamental tendency of people to
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Accept what we hear when presented as facts
Predict future events based on causality
Accept tradition as fact
Accept authority
Inaccurate observation
Overgeneralizations
Selective observation
Why is research important?
• Formal research can also guard against
specific faults of the researcher
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Opinions about the way things should be
Applications of the misconceptions
Careless or faulty methods and observations
Ego involvement
• Example from medical research
Why is research important?
Formal research is important also in providing a
solid foundation for the…
• Discovery and creation of knowledge
• Theory building
• Testing, confirmation, revision, refutation of
knowledge or theory
• Investigation of a problem for local decision
making
• Advance a discipline or field
• Leads to improvements and advancements
• Promotion and tenure
• Research grants
Overview of the research
process
Research is an inquiry process with specific
components (Hernon, 2001)
• Reflective inquiry:
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Problem statement
Literature review and theoretical framework
Logical structure
Objectives
Research question (the problem) or
hypotheses (when appropriate)
Overview of the research
process
Procedures
• Research design
• Data collection methods
• Data analysis:
– Gathering, processing, and analyzing data
Overview of the research
process
Issues of reliability, validity, credibility,
confirmation
Presentation of findings:
• Accepted format for professional
publication
• Adequate explanation of procedures and
statistics
• Effective use of graphics
• Adequate interpretation and alternatives
– Examples?
Overview of the research
process
There are other ways to present the
components and steps in scientific
research
Important point is the formal framework
• Distinguishes research from the casual use
of the term
• Enables such research to have real value
(now and for unanticipated purposes)
Why is this course important?
• We’re surrounded by data, stats, figures,
claims that appear to be “facts” because
they appear to be the result of “research”:
• Mass media reports that define various
characteristics of “Americans” by polls or
surveys [we should wonder…]
– Is it a representative sample?
– Is the sample size adequate?
– Did the ‘researcher’ ask leading questions?
Why is this course important?
As LIS students & professionals:
• Develop an understanding of the role of
research LIS
• To evaluate research (critical consumers)
– Does it have credence?
– Does it have value?
– Can you use it in your job?
• To get an idea of your own research
• Should be useful in your daily life!
Recap
• Class mechanics
• Overview of research as a formal process
• Specific steps involved in the craft of
research
• Specific influences upon the researcher
• Consumers must be aware of weaknesses
• We’ll go in detail by dividing research into
theme
• Concur?