The use of statistical methods in library and information science

Wallace, Danny P.

doi:10.1002/asi.4630360610

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Finally, in most of the literature of literature growth, the growth rates have been estimated by eye from the empirical plots and there is little use of more systematic methods such as fitting the data by least-squares (Tague et al, 1981). Such an observation corroborates those of Wyllys (1978) and Wallace (1985) who, in their studies of the use of statistics in the literature of L & IS, found that inferential statistics accounted for 2.9% and 6% of their samples, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used in 20% leaving a large 74% of the literature with no statistics at all (Wallace, 1985).…”

supporting

confidence: 90%

The growth of the OPAC literature

Efthimiadis

1990

J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci.

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supporting

confidence: 90%

The growth of the OPAC literature

Efthimiadis

1990

J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci.

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“…Van De Water, Surprenant, Genova, & Atherton (1976Atherton ( ) 1969Atherton ( -1971Atherton ( and 1974 13.4% Wyllys (1978) 1975 3% Wallace (1985) 1981 6%…”

Section: Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of inferential statistical methods in library and information science

Zhang

Wang

Zhao

et al. 2018

Data and Information Management

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Research methods play an extremely important role in studies. Statistical methods are fundamental and vital for quantitative research. The authors of this paper investigated the research papers that used statistical methods including parametric inferential statistical methods, nonparametric inferential statistical methods, predictive statistical correlation methods, and predictive statistical regression methods in library and information science and examined the connections and interactions between statistical methods and their application areas including information creation, information selection and control, information organization, information retrieval, information dissemination, and information use. Both an inferential statistical method and graphic clustering visualization method were employed to explore the relationships between statistical methods and application areas and reveal the hidden interaction patterns. As a result, 1821 research papers employing statistical methods were identified among the papers published in six major library and information science journals from 1999 to 2017. The findings showed that application areas affected the types of statistical methods utilized. Studies in information organization and information retrieval tended to employ parametric and nonparametric inferential methods, while correlation and regression methods were applied more in studies in information use, information dissemination, information creation, and information selection and control field. These findings help researchers better understand the statistical method orientation of library and information science studies and assist educators in the field to develop applicable quantitative research methodology courses.

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“…Notable scholars of librarianship including Butler (1933), Shera (1964), Goldhor (1972) and Busha and Harter (1980) lamented the lack of quantitative research in the field. Studies such as Wallace (1985) and Enger, Quirk, and Stewart (1988) used the presence of statistical methods to classify published articles in library journals as research. Other characteristics of division used to distinguish research publications have included the use of references in a given article.…”

Section: Criticisms Of How We Done It Goodmentioning

confidence: 99%

How we done it good: Research through design as a legitimate methodology for librarianship

Clarke

2018

Library & Information Science Research

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How we done it good" publications-a genre concerning project-based approaches that describe how (and sometimes why) something was done-are often rebuked in the library research community for lacking traditional scientific validity, reliability, and generalizability. While scientific methodologies may be a common approach to research and inquiry, they are not the only methodological paradigms. This research posits that the "how we done it good" paradigm in librarianship reflects a valid and legitimate approach to research. By drawing on the concept of research through design, this study shows how these "how we done it good" projects reflect design methodologies which draw rigor from process, invention, relevance, and extensibility rather than replicability, generalizability, and predictability. Although these projects implicitly reflect research through design, the methodology is not yet explicitly harnessed in librarianship. More support for these types of projects can be achieved by making the legitimate design framework more explicit and increasing support from publication venues.

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The use of statistical methods in library and information science

Cited by 21 publications

References 6 publications

The growth of the OPAC literature

The growth of the OPAC literature

Applications of inferential statistical methods in library and information science

How we done it good: Research through design as a legitimate methodology for librarianship

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