The seventh edition of this frequently adopted textbook features new or expanded sections on social justice research, data analysis software, scholarly identity research, social networking, data science, and data visualization, among other topics. It continues to include discipline experts' voices.
The revised seventh edition of this popular text provides instruction and guidance for professionals and students in library and information science who want to conduct research and publish findings, as well as for practicing professionals who want a broad overview of the current literature.
Providing a broad introduction to research design, the authors include principles, data collection techniques, and analyses of quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as advantages and limitations of each method and updated bibliographies. Chapters cover the scientific method, sampling, validity, reliability, and ethical concerns along with quantitative and qualitative methods. LIS students and professionals will consult this text not only for instruction on conducting research but also for guidance in critically reading and evaluating research publications, proposals, and reports.
As in the previous edition, discipline experts provide advice, tips, and strategies for completing research projects, dissertations, and theses; writing grants; overcoming writer’s block; collaborating with colleagues; and working with outside consultants. Journal and book editors discuss how to publish and identify best practices and understudied topics, as well as what they look for in submissions.
Features
- Features new or expanded sections on social justice research; virtual collaboration, data collection, and dissemination; scholarly communication; computer-assisted qualitative and quantitative data analysis; scholarly identity research and guidelines; data science; and visualization of quantitative and qualitative data
- Provides a broad and comprehensive overview and update, especially of research published over the past five years
- Highlights school, public, and academic research findings
- Relies on the coauthors' expertise in research design, securing grant funding, and using the latest technology and data analysis software
Lynn Silipigni Connaway is director of library trends and user research at OCLC Research. She is past president of ASIS&T, the recipient of the ASIS&T 2019 Watson Davis Award, and the 2020 Distinguished Alumna Award at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Information School. Connaway is past chair of the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries Committee. She held the Chair of Excellence at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. She is coauthor of the 4th and 5th editions of Basic Research Methods for Librarians and of the 6th edition of Research Methods in Library and Information Science.
Marie L. Radford is chair and professor in the Department of Library and Information Science at Rutgers University. Her latest books are Conducting the Reference Interview, 3rd edition. with Catherine Sheldrick Ross and Kirsti Nilsen (2019), Library Conversations: Reclaiming Interpersonal Communication Theory for Understanding Professional Encounters with Gary Radford (2017), and Research Methods in Library and Information Science, 6th edition with Lynn Silipigni Connaway (2017). She is co-PI of the "Seeking Synchronicity" and "Cyber Synergy" grant projects funded by IMLS, Rutgers, and OCLC. She received the 2010 ALA/RUSA Mudge Award for distinguished contributions to reference.
Reviews
"This latest edition of Connaway and Radford’s classic textbook provides an excellent foundation in research methods for students in the discipline. Substantially updated from previous editions, it is logically organized, covers the full range of commonly used methods in LIS, and provides many examples of important concepts from published research. Especially significant, it points to current trends in research, including a focus on social justice and anti-colonial approaches, ensuring its relevance in the contemporary research landscape."—Heidi Julien, Professor, SUNY at Buffalo
“Anyone involved in library and information science research will treasure this book. Connaway and Radford bring rigorous research to everyone working in the field: students, LIS faculty members, and professional librarians. The seventh edition includes about 40 percent new content, and a large number of examples taken from real research carried out by the authors themselves provide an excellent perspective on the entire LIS research landscape. If you are going to undertake research or train new researchers, this book is for you.”—Virginia Ortiz-Repiso, Director of the PhD program in Library Science, University Carlos III of Madrid
"This book is more than a research methods book. It is a universal guide for LIS research. It guides the reader through all stages of the research process from developing research questions to designing the research, collecting and analyzing the data, and finally to writing proposals and presentations and publishing. The authors even explain and describe sampling methods, which often are not included in other LIS research methods books. It is up to date and to the point."—Elke Greifeneder, Professor, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Library and Information Science Text Series
Covering essential LIS skills and areas of study, Libraries Unlimited Library and Information Science Textbook Series brings you trusted, state-of-the-art resources from top faculty to help prepare and teach a wide variety of LIS courses. Specifically designed for full- and part-time faculty and students, these books are also solid professional resources for LIS practitioners.
