Usage frequency and application variety of research methods in library and information science: Continuous investigation from 1991 to 2021

• Published in: Information processing & management Vol. 60; no. 6; p. 103507
• Main Authors: Zhang, Chengzhi, Tian, Liang, Chu, Heting
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2023
• Subjects: Application variety; Library and Information Science; Machine learning; Research methods; Usage frequency; Application variety; Library and Information Science; Usage frequency; Machine learning; Research methods
• ISSN: 0306-4573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2023.103507

•26,965 articles in LIS journals were analyzed to identify research topics and categorize research methods.•There is a shift in the research strategy from conceptual to empirical research in LIS investigations over the past 3 decades.•Topics explored by LIS scholars during the past 3 decades have moved from system-centered issues to user-centered subjects.•LIS scholars choose research methods based on the topic they intend to study.•The study revealed dynamic and revealing relationships between topics and research methods commonly adopted in LIS. The present study analyzed over 26,000 research articles published between 1991 and 2021 in twenty-one major LIS (Library and Information Science) journals, using the machine learning (ML) approach to categorize the research methods used by LIS scholars. The findings of this study are significant. Firstly, there has been a shift in the research strategy from conceptual research (e.g., "Theoretical approach") to empirical research (e.g., "Interview") in LIS investigations over the past 31 years. Secondly, the research topics explored by LIS scholars during this period have moved from system-centered issues (e.g., "Information retrieval/models and algorithms") to user-centered topics (e.g., "Information services "). Thirdly, the study revealed dynamic and revealing relationships between the 18 research topics identified in the study and the 16 research methods commonly adopted in the LIS field. These dynamic relationships can be visualized by year and longitudinally via an interactive map created in this study.