{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T10:53:23Z","timestamp":1772794403621,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]],"date-time":"2005-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1107216000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>To review critically the applicability of Grounded Theory.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>Two perspectives are used: that of the author's personal experience and that of the internal pros and cons of Grounded Theory.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>Grounded Theory is called into question regarding problems with pre\u2010understanding, with everyday knowledge, with disconnection of context, and with coding procedure.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>It is important to think twice before using Grounded Theory in spite of its promising features at the outset.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>Empirically and theoretically founded critique of Grounded Theory<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410510578041","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,9]],"date-time":"2005-02-09T11:07:23Z","timestamp":1107947243000},"page":"114-129","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":39,"title":["On Grounded Theory \u2013 with some malice"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"61","author":[{"given":"Lars","family":"Seld\u00e9n","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b1","unstructured":"Alvesson, M. and Sk\u00f6ldberg, K. (1994), \u201cGrundad teori\u201d, in Alvesson, M. and Sk\u00f6ldberg, K. (Eds), Tolkning och reflektion, Studentlitteratur, Lund, pp. 63\u201095."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Blumer, H. (1954), \u201cWhat is wrong with social theory?\u201d, American Sociological Review, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 3\u201010.","DOI":"10.2307\/2088165"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b3","unstructured":"Blumer, H. (1969), Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method, Prentice\u2010Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b4","unstructured":"Bourdieu, P. (1984), Homo Academicus, Minuit, Paris."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b5","unstructured":"Bourdieu, P. and Wacquant, L.J.D. (1992), R\u00e9ponses: Pour une Anthropologie R\u00e9flexive, Seuil, Paris."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b6","unstructured":"Danermark, B., Ekstr\u00f6m, M., Jakobsen, L. and Karlsson, J.C. (2001), \u201cGrounded theory\u201d, in Danermark, B., Ekstr\u00f6m, M., Jakobsen, L. and Karlsson, J.C. (Eds), Explaining Society: An Introduction to Critical Realism in the Social Sciences, Routledge, Florence, KY, pp. 130\u20107."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b7","unstructured":"Dervin, B. and Nilan, M. (1986), \u201cInformation needs and uses\u201d, Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Vol. 21, pp. 3\u201033."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ellis, D. (1993), \u201cModelling the information\u2010seeking patterns of academic researchers: a Grounded Theory approach\u201d, Library Quarterly, Vol. 63 No. 4, pp. 469\u201086.","DOI":"10.1086\/602622"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b9","unstructured":"Gerholm, L. and Gerholm, T. (1992), Doktorshatten: En studie av forskarutbildningen inom sex discipliner vid Stockholms universitet (The Doctor's Hat: A Study of the Education to Researcher in Six Disciplines at Stockholm University), Carlssons, Stockholm."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b10","unstructured":"Glaser, B.G. (1978), Theoretical Sensitivity: Advances in the Methodology of Grounded Theory, Sociology Press, Mill Valley, CA."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b11","unstructured":"Glaser, B.G. (1992), Basics of Grounded Theory Analysis: Emergence vs Forcing, Sociology Press, Mill Valley, CA."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Glaser, B.G. and Strauss, A.L. (1967), The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research, Aldine, Hawthorne, New York, NY.","DOI":"10.1097\/00006199-196807000-00014"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b13","unstructured":"Gustavsson, B. (1998), Metod: Grundad teori f\u00f6r ekonomer: att navigera i empirins farvatten, Academia Adacta, Lund."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b14","unstructured":"Guv\u00e5, G. and Hylander, I. (2003), Grundad teori: ett teorigenererande forskningsperspektiv, Liber, Stockholm."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b15","unstructured":"Haglund, D.A.R. (1995), \u201cHusserl och den fenomenologiska filosofin\u201d, in Husserl, E. (Ed.), Fenomenologins id\u00e9, 2nd ed., Daidalos, G\u00f6teborg, pp. 9\u201032."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b16","unstructured":"Hartman, J. (2001), Grundad teori: Teorigenerering p\u00e5 empirisk grund, Studentlitteratur, Lund."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mellon, C.A. (1986), \u201cLibrary anxiety: a grounded theory and its development\u201d, College & Research Libraries, Vol. 47. March, pp. 160\u20105.","DOI":"10.5860\/crl_47_02_160"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Miller, G. (1997), \u201cIntroduction\u201d, in Miller, G. and Dingwall, R. (Eds), Context and Method in Qualitative Research, Sage, London, pp. 27\u201036.","DOI":"10.4135\/9781849208758"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b19","unstructured":"Myrdal, G. (1969), Objectivity in Social Research: The 1967 Wimmer Lecture, St Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Pantheon, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b20","unstructured":"Nahl, D. (1997), \u201cThe user centered revolution\u201d, in Kent, A. and Williams, J.G. (Eds), Encyclopedia of Microcomputers, Marcel Dekker, New York, NY, pp. 143\u201099."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b21","unstructured":"Olaisen, J.L. (1984), Toward a Theory of Information Seeking Behavior among Scientists and Scholars, UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, MI."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b22","unstructured":"Olaisen, J.L. (1996), \u201cPluralism or positivistic trivialism?\u201d, in Olaisen, J., Munch\u2010Petersen, E. and Wilson, P. (Eds), Information Science: From the Development of the Discipline to Social Interaction, Scandinavian University Press, Oslo, pp. 277\u2010318."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b23","unstructured":"Reason, P. and Rowan, J. (Eds) (1981), Human Inquiry, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b24","unstructured":"Seld\u00e9n, L. (1999), Kapital och karri\u00e4r: Informationss\u00f6kning i forskningens vardagspraktik (Summary: Capital and career: Information Seeking in Everyday Scholarly Practice), Valfrid, Bor\u00e5s."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b25","unstructured":"Seld\u00e9n, L. (2001), \u201cAcademic information seeking\u201d, The New Review of Information Behaviour Research: Studies of Information Seeking in Context, Vol. 2, pp. 195\u2010215."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b26","unstructured":"St\u00e5lhammar, B. (1999), Grounded theory och musikpedagogik: teorigenerering med empirin som grund, Musikh\u00f6gskolan vid \u00d6rebro universitet, \u00d6rebro."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Star, S.L. (1997), \u201cAnselm Strauss: an appreciation\u201d, Sociological Research Online, Vol. 2 No. 1:1, available at: www.socresonline.org.uk\/2\/1\/1.html.","DOI":"10.5153\/sro.92"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Strauss, A. (1987), Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511557842"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b29","unstructured":"Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. (1990), Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques, Sage, Newbury Park, CA."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b30","unstructured":"Vedi, S. (1986), \u201cInformation and the awareness of leaching of plant nutrients\u201d, PhD thesis, Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Weingand, D.E. (1993), \u201cGrounded theory and qualitative methodology\u201d, IFLA Journal, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 17\u201026.","DOI":"10.1177\/034003529301900108"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wikgren, S. (2005), \u201cCritical realism as a philosophy and social theory in information science?\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 61 No. 1, pp. 11\u201022.","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410510577989"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wilson, P. (1968), Two Kinds of Power: An Essay on Bibliographical Control, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.","DOI":"10.1525\/9780520313040"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b33","unstructured":"Wilson, P. (1977), Public Knowledge, Private Ignorance: Toward a Library and Information Policy, Greenwood, Westport, CT."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b34","unstructured":"Wilson, P. (1983), Second Hand Knowledge: An Inquiry into Cognitive Authority, Greenwood, Westport, CT."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wilson, T.D. (1980), \u201cOn information science and the social sciences\u201d, Social Science Information Studies, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 5\u201012.","DOI":"10.1016\/0143-6236(80)90003-4"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wilson, T.D. (1981), \u201cOn user studies and information needs\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 3\u201015.","DOI":"10.1108\/eb026702"},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b37","unstructured":"Wilson, T.D. (1982), \u201cNowy paradygmat badan\u00b4, w dziedzinie informacji naukowej: Badanie przez dzialanie\u201d, Zagadnienia Informacji Naukowej, No. 1, pp. 57\u201073."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b38","unstructured":"Wilson, T.D. (1990), \u201cObject or participant? The information user in information research\u201d, Svensk Biblioteksforskning, No. 3, pp. 5\u201016."},{"key":"key2022032219540764300_b39","unstructured":"Wilson, T.D. and Streatfield, D. (1982), \u201cAction research and users\u2019 needs\u201d, in Friberg, I. (Ed.), The 4th International Research Forum in Information Science, H\u00f6gskolan i Bor\u00e5s, Bor\u00e5s, pp. 51\u201070."}],"container-title":["Journal of Documentation"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/00220410510578041","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00220410510578041\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00220410510578041\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:37:27Z","timestamp":1753400247000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/jd\/article\/61\/1\/114-129\/201587"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Birger","family":"Hj\u00f8rland","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]},"references-count":40,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/00220410510578041"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00220410510578041","relation":{},"ISSN":["0022-0418"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0022-0418","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,1]]}}}