Research Methods in Information

Citation

Hannabuss, S. (2007), "Research Methods in Information", Library Review, Vol. 56 No. 6, pp. 523-524. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530710760481

Readers who have struggled to start research, and readers who have equally struggled to select from the mass of stuff on research methods in order to run student courses, will be two groups delighted to see the appearance of this book. It is clearly aligned towards information studies research, and calls itself a reference guide to students, researchers, and professionals in the library, information, and knowledge fields. Pickard is right to say that good research skills form part of the repertoire of the effective information professional today, so this is an introductory textbook for beginner‐researchers at any stage of their careers. That said, it will be a sure seller wherever pre‐experience (undergraduate and postgraduate) courses are run, in the English‐speaking world: though published in the UK, its advice is not parochial – it is readily transferrable to other contexts. The paperback is firmly bound, well‐printed, and a bargain at the price. Facet have a winner here.

Pickard takes a practical approach, drawing on her experience, teaching research methods courses at the University of Northumbria in the UK. It is clear, uncluttered, and convincing, in its overall structure (four sections) and the guidance and advice given in each chapter (24 of them). The sections are starting the process, research methods, data collection techniques, and data analysis/research presentation. It can easily be used as the textbook for a research methods course, with required readings each week. Examples and exercises are provided with each chapter, with further reading. A glossary, bibliography, and index come at the end. Highly useable, then, with nothing likely to trip you up. Ideal for beginners, especially on short courses where immersion needs to be fast and where the jargon of research methods (paradigms, methodologies, hypotheses, validity, and so forth) can confuse and alienate.

It is, in fact, the sort of book I would have liked to have had when I started out, and it will certainly be a book that I shall recommend to students when they ask questions like “what is a literature review?”, “what is ethnographic research?”, “can I use grounded theory?”, “is not there a risk of subjectivity with participant observation?”, “I would like to use focus groups but I have heard they are difficult to set up – is that true?”, and “do you think its ethical for me to retain the data even if I make it anonymous?”. The book is not formatted in a question‐and‐answer style, nor should it have been, but each chapter so clearly identifies its brief and provides a snapshot of the features and issues that it will answer such questions and also provoke them. Starting the process is the first section and it gets the pompous theory out of the way quickly: going on then to literature review and research proposal, sampling, and ethics. Research methods is the second, covering case studies and surveys, experimental approaches and ethnography, Delphi and action research, historical research, and grounded theory.

Data collection techniques is the third, with interviews and questionnaires, observation and diaries, focus groups, and usability testing/heuristic review. And finally data analysis/research presentation is the fourth, looking across qualitative and quantitative analysis, describing some mainstream software helpful to research (particularly SPSS and NUD.IST), and presenting the research. Sections are logical and do not overlap. Using the index allows readers to connect up things like surveys and questionnaires, research paradigms and forms of analysis, and sampling and quantitative analysis. Where more is needed by the reader (as it would almost certainly be on most of the topics, and certainly case studies and sampling and quantitative analysis), Pickard points out further reading. The readings are well‐chosen and in print, and a cross‐section of them have been provided at the end of this review as a kind of check‐list. So a practical approachable non‐nonsense book useful for student and continuing professional development (CPD) (i.e. ongoing training for employees etc.) collections and activities. Something like this for information research newbies has been too long in coming.