Examining the use of methodological pluralism in Library and Information Science empirical research produced by Pakistani authors

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Information science profession is concerned with information user and every development in this field has been designed to make it easier for the user to access documents or information. The current study examined user studies to provide understanding about the users, growth in user studies, topics, and methods of user studies. A content analysis method has been adopted and empirical research articles produced by Pakistani authors during the period 2001–2016 have been examined. Out of 518 empirical articles, 185 user studies were selected for examining users, subject and methods. Growth in user studies research was lower from the period 2001 to 2008 but number of studies increased significantly after 2008. Dominant majority of user studies collected data from educational institutions. Academicians and students were the most frequently studied users. Bureaucrats, judges, and other officials have not been examined for elicitation of their needs in spite of the fact that libraries have been established with government departments and courts. In respect of research areas of user studies, information needs and seeking behavior, use and skills of internet and social media, use of electronic resources and satisfaction of users with library services constitute 90% of user studies research. With respect to use of research methodology, quantitative approach (78%) is popular in user studies followed by mixed methods (10%), qualitative (8%), and multimethod (4%). More than one method is used in 14% user studies research. In case of frequency of research methods, questionnaire (72%) is the dominant method followed by interview (14%). The current study is unique because it identified popular topics and methods in user studies research.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Methodology has been classified on the basis of nature of data. The current study used classification scheme developed by Ullah (2021) for examining methodology trends in Library and Information Management (LIM) research. This scheme categorized methodologies into quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and multimethods.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth, subject areas, and application of research methods in user studies: A content analysis of articles produced by Pakistani authors

Ullah¹,

Ameen²

2022

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Hurdles experienced by LIS authors from Pakistan during the operability or implementation of selected research methodologies: A qualitative exploration

Ullah

2024

Use of appropriate research methodology among authors is essential to produce high quality research. Practical operability or smooth implementation of research methodology and methods must be maintained because lapses in the implementation may hamper research and quality. Hurdles experienced by authors in the operability of research design may negatively impact the conclusions. Researchers need to be aware about the issues arising during the process of research and they must adopt certain steps to avoid such issues. The current study explored the hurdles, negative impacts and relevant measure to streamline the operability of research process. The current empirical research used qualitative design. Interview method was used for exploring author’s views. Pakistani LIS authors were selected for interview from those who have published more than one article during the period 2001 and 2016. Majority of the respondents experienced hurdles in the operability of selected research methodology. Few respondents faced problems because they selected inappropriate research method for the research problem, questions or phenomenon. Selection of irrelevant population and faulty sampling also create disturbances in the smooth execution of research process. Use of faulty data collection tool resulted in the collection of irrelevant, meaningless, neutral, or over rated data. Lack of access to data and its inventory nature and complexity of data analysis procedure also affected smooth operability. Hurdles created negative impact on the quality of research and compromised the accuracy, reliability and validity of results. Multiple strategies were proposed by authors to avoid such hurdles. The current study is an effort to help authors gain an understanding for better implementation and subsequently to make more informed decisions for selection of research methodology and methods.

Impact of research characteristics and methodologies used in LIS articles on citation count

Ullah,

Hayat,

Ameen

2024

Citation count is a mechanism for making scholarly impact assessments. The current study estimated the influences of publication year, authorship patterns, publishing outlets and use of methodologies on citation count. Citation analysis and content analysis are used to examine the differences between variables in the citation count. The current study used a sample of LIS articles published by Pakistani authors from 2001 to 2016. Content analysis is used to identify themes about the use of methodology. The authorship patterns, publishing channels and year of publication were quantified from the bibliometric data of articles. Citation scores were explored on Google Scholar. An independent sample t-test and an ANOVA were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that the publishing year has affected the citation count. The periods between 2001–2008 and 2013–2016 saw fewer citations for articles, while articles published from 2009 to 2012 had higher citation shares. Articles published by faculty and collaborated by two or more authors have significantly higher citations, but females have a slightly higher citation count. Articles published in impact factor journals, international journals and subscription journals have a higher citation count. Non-peer review journals have the lowest citation count. Empirical and quantitative methodology and inferential statistics have increased the citation score. Gaps in reporting methodology have reduced the citation score. Among the two types of methodological plurality, mixed-methods articles have significantly higher citations as compared to multi-methods articles. The current study is unique because it is a comprehensive analysis of the impact of social, academic and methodology factors on the citation count of entire LIS articles published from a developing country. It has identified positive and negative factors affecting citations, and these will be helpful for researchers, policymakers, institutions and journal publishers in planning quality research publishing.