{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T21:30:54Z","timestamp":1764019854470,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":98,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,3,1]],"date-time":"2013-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1362096000000},"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":[[2013,3,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to advocate for a clearer and less fragmentary use of qualitative research in the increasingly interdisciplinary research setting of information science.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>The paper performs a textual analysis of more than 500 peer\u2010reviewed articles to assess information science's involvement with qualitative research. The paper undertakes historical criticism to trace qualitative research in the reviews of information science for the last three decades.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>Authors are unclear and lax in their uses of basic research terms. Authors do not account for qualitative research's characteristics, methods, and contributions to information science's bodies of knowledge. Only 4.3 percent of published articles mention their contributions to information science's literature whereas 5.6 percent mention qualitative method(s) in their abstracts. Publications do not show (intra\u2010)collaboration between areas of information science. Information science's contributions to the theoretical discussions of the wider scientific community are lacking.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>The paper discusses afresh information science's qualitative research. The paper suggests a tighter and long\u2010term investment of information science in qualitative research and the formation of the information science's own theorists and theory\u2010illumined practitioners. The paper puts forth some practical recommendations.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/00220411311300048","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,3,7]],"date-time":"2013-03-07T09:26:02Z","timestamp":1362648362000},"page":"194-213","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":38,"title":["A memo of qualitative research for information science: toward theory construction"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"69","author":[{"given":"Sylvain K.","family":"Cibangu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b1","unstructured":"Afzal, W. (2006), \u201cAn argument for the increased use of qualitative research in LIS\u201d, Emporia State Research Studies, Vol. 43 No. 1, pp. 22\u20105."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b2","unstructured":"Aparac, T. and Pehar, F. (2010) in Larsen, B., Schneider, W.J. and \u00c5str\u00f6m, F. (Eds), \u201cInformation sciences in Croatia: a view from the perspective of bibliometric analysis of two leading journals\u201d, The Janus Faced Scholar: A Festschrift in Honor of Peter Ingwersen, Det Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi, Copenhagen, pp. 325\u2010338, available at: www.issi\u2010society.info\/peteringwersen\/pif_online.pdf (accessed December 21, 2011)."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b3","unstructured":"Aristotle (4th c. BC, 1853) in Owen, O.F. (Ed.), The Organon, Vol. 2 vols, Henry G. Bohn, London."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bates, J.M. (1999), \u201cThe invisible substrate of information science\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Vol. 50 No. 12, pp. 1043\u201050.","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1097-4571(1999)50:12<1043::AID-ASI1>3.0.CO;2-X"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b5","unstructured":"Bates, J.M. (2010), \u201cAn operational definition of the information disciplines\u201d, Conference 2010 Proceedings, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, pp. 19\u201025, available at: http:\/\/nora.lis.uiuc.edu\/images\/iConferences\/2010papers_Allen\u2010Ortiz.pdf (accessed April 30, 2010)."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bates, J.M. and Maack, N.M. (2010), \u201cIntroduction to the encyclopedia of library and information sciences\u201d, in Bates, J.M. and Maack, N.M. (Eds), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. xi\u2010xviii.","DOI":"10.1081\/E-ELIS3"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Beverland, M. and Lindgreen, A. (2010), \u201cWhat makes a good case study? A positivist review of qualitative case research published in Industrial Marketing Management, 1971\u20102006\u201d, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 56\u201063.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.indmarman.2008.09.005"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brady, E.H., Collier, D. and Seawright, J. (2006), \u201cToward a pluralistic vision of methodology\u201d, Political Analysis, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 353\u201068.","DOI":"10.1093\/pan\/mpj021"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brookes, C.B. (1980a), \u201cThe foundations of information science: Part I. Philosophical aspects\u201d, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 2 Nos 3\u20104, pp. 125\u201033.","DOI":"10.1177\/016555158000200302"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brookes, C.B. (1980b), \u201cThe foundations of information science: Part II. Quantitative aspects: classes of things and the challenge of human individuality\u201d, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 2 No. 5, pp. 209\u201021.","DOI":"10.1177\/016555158000200502"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brookes, C.B. (1980c), \u201cThe foundations of information science: Part III. Quantitative aspects: objective maps and subjective landscapes\u201d, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 2 No. 6, pp. 269\u201075.","DOI":"10.1177\/016555158000200602"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brookes, C.B. (1981), \u201cThe foundations of information science: Part IV. Information science: the changing paradigm\u201d, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 3\u201012.","DOI":"10.1177\/016555158100300102"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Buckland, M. (2012), \u201cWhat kind of science can information science be?\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 63 No. 1, pp. 1\u20107.","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.21656"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cibangu, K.S. (2010a), \u201cReview of the book toward a sociological theory of information, by Garfinkel, H\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 66 No. 2, pp. 297\u20109.","DOI":"10.1108\/jd.2010.66.2.297.3"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cibangu, K.S. (2010b), \u201cParadigms, methodologies, and methods\u201d, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 177\u20108.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2010.03.006"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b16","unstructured":"Cibangu, K.S. (2010c), \u201cInformation science as a social science\u201d, Information Research, 15(3, available at: http:\/\/InformationR.net\/ir\/15\u20103\/paper434.html (accessed June 27, 2011)."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b17","unstructured":"Cibangu, K.S. (2012a), \u201cQualitative research: the toolkit of theories in the social sciences\u201d, in L\u00f3pez\u2010Varela, A.M. (Ed.), Social Sciences and Humanities: Applications and Theories, Vol. 2, InTech, Rijeka."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b18","unstructured":"Cibangu, K.S. (2012b), \u201cKarl Popper and the social sciences\u201d, in L\u00f3pez\u2010Varela, A.M. (Ed.), Social Sciences and Humanities: Applications and Theories, Vol. 1, InTech, Rijeka."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Collier, D. and Elman, C. (2008), \u201cQualitative and multi\u2010method research: organizations, publication, and reflections on integration\u201d, in Box\u2010Steffensmeier, M.J., Brady, E.H. and Collier, D. (Eds), The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, pp. 779\u201095.","DOI":"10.1093\/oxfordhb\/9780199286546.003.0034"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Conklin, J. and Hayhoe, F.G. (2011), \u201cPreface\u201d, in Conklin, J. and Hayhoe, F.G. (Eds), Qualitative Research in Technical Communication, Routledge, New York, NY, pp. 7\u201014.","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203846636"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cornelius, I. (2002), \u201cTheorizing information for information science\u201d, Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 392\u2010425.","DOI":"10.1002\/aris.1440360110"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Day, E.R. (2010a), \u201cThe self\u2010imposed limits of library and information science: remarks on the discipline, on the profession, on the university, and on the state of \u2018information\u2019 in the US at large today\u201d, Interactions, Vol. 6 No. 2, available at: http:\/\/escholarship.org\/uc\/item\/0jr2h7w5#page\u20101 (accessed December 21, 2011).","DOI":"10.5070\/D462000684"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Day, E.R. (2010b), \u201cMartin Heidegger's critique of informational modernity\u201d, in Leckie, J.G., Given, L.M. and Buschman, E.J. (Eds), Critical Theory for Library and Information Science: Exploring The Social from Across the Discipline, Library Unlimited, Santa Barbara, CA, pp. 173\u201088.","DOI":"10.5040\/9798400634420.ch-014"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Day, E.R. (2011), \u201cDeath of the user: reconceptualizing subjects, objects, and their relations\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 62 No. 1, pp. 78\u201088.","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.21422"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Denzin, K.N. (1997), Interpretive Ethnography: Ethnographic Practices for the 21st Century, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.","DOI":"10.4135\/9781452243672"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b26","unstructured":"Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (1998), \u201cIntroduction: entering the field of qualitative research\u201d, in Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (Eds), The Landscape of Qualitative Research: Theories and Issues, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 1\u201034."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b27","unstructured":"Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (2005), \u201cPreface\u201d, in Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (Eds), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 3rd ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 9\u201019."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b28","unstructured":"Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (2008a), \u201cPreface\u201d, in Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (Eds), The Landscape of Qualitative Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 7\u201010."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b29","unstructured":"Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (2008b), \u201cIntroduction: the discipline and practice of qualitative research\u201d, in Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (Eds), The Landscape of Qualitative Research, 3rd ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 1\u201043."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b30","unstructured":"Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (2011), \u201cPreface\u201d, in Denzin, K.N. and Lincoln, S.Y. (Eds), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 4th ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 9\u201016."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Eisenhardt, M.K. (1989), \u201cBuilding theories from case study research\u201d, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 532\u201050.","DOI":"10.5465\/amr.1989.4308385"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Eisenhardt, M.K. and Graebner, E.M. (2007), \u201cTheory building from cases: opportunities and challenges\u201d, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 50 No. 1, pp. 25\u201032.","DOI":"10.5465\/amj.2007.24160888"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b33","unstructured":"Farkas\u2010Conn, S.I. (1990), From Documentation to Information Science: The Beginnings and Early Development of the American Documentation Institute\u2010American Society for Information Science, Greenwood Press, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b34","unstructured":"Feather, J.P. (1992), \u201cInformation for development\u201d, Quaid\u2010e\u2010Azam Library Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 1\u201014."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b35","unstructured":"Feather, J.P. (2008), The Information Society: A Study of Continuity and Change, 5th ed., Facet, London."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b36","unstructured":"Fidel, R. (1984), \u201cThe case study method: a case study\u201d, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 273\u201088."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b37","unstructured":"Fidel, R. (1993), \u201cQualitative methods in information retrieval research\u201d, Library and Information Science Research, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 219\u201047."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fidel, R. (2008), \u201cAre we there yet? Mixed methods research in library and information science\u201d, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 265\u201072.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2008.04.001"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b39","unstructured":"Fisher, E.F., Erdelez, S. and McKechnie, E.F.L. (Eds) (2005), Theories of Information Behavior, Information Today, Medford, NJ."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fisher, K.E. and Julien, H. (2009), \u201cInformation behavior\u201d, Annual Review of Information Science & Technology, Vol. 43, pp. 317\u201058.","DOI":"10.1002\/aris.2009.1440430114"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Flick, U. (2002), \u201cQualitative research: state of the art\u201d, Social Science Information, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 5\u201024.","DOI":"10.1177\/0539018402041001001"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b42","unstructured":"Flick, U. (2009), An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 4th ed., Sage, London."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Flyvbjerg, B. (2006), \u201cFive misunderstandings about case\u2010study research\u201d, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 219\u201045.","DOI":"10.1177\/1077800405284363"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Furner, J. (2010), \u201cPhilosophy and information studies\u201d, Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Vol. 44, pp. 162\u2010200.","DOI":"10.1002\/aris.2010.1440440111"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b46","unstructured":"Furner, J. (2011), \u201cFundamental research questions in information science\u201d, paper presented at 74th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. New Orleans, LA, October 9\u201012."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b47","unstructured":"Geertz, C. (2000), The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays, Basic Books, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Given, L. (2006), \u201cQualitative research in evidence\u2010based practice: a valuable partnership\u201d, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 376\u201086.","DOI":"10.1108\/07378830610692145"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b49","unstructured":"Habermas, J. (1968\/1971) in Shapiro, J.J. (transl.) (Ed.), Knowledge and Human Interests, Beacon Press, Boston, MA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b50","unstructured":"Herodotus (5th c. BC, 1957) in Godley, A.D. (transl.) (Ed.), Histories, Vol. 7, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b51","unstructured":"Herodotus (5th c. BC, 1960) in Godley, A.D. (transl.) (Ed.), Histories, Vol. 2, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b52","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hine, C. (2000), Virtual Ethnography, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.","DOI":"10.4135\/9780857020277"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2000), \u201cLibrary and information science: practice, theory and philosophical basis\u201d, Information Processing & Management, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 501\u201031.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0306-4573(99)00038-2"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2002), \u201cDomain analysis in information science: eleven approaches, traditional as well as innovative\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 58 No. 4, pp. 422\u201062.","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410210431136"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b55","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2003a), \u201cEmpiricism and positivism\u201d, in Feather, J. and Sturges, P. (Eds), International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science, 2nd ed., Routledge, London, pp. 179\u201081."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b56","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2003b), \u201cHermeneutics\u201d, in Feather, J. and Sturges, P. (Eds), International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science, 2nd ed., Routledge, London, pp. 223\u20105."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b57","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2005a), \u201cEmpiricism, rationalism and positivism in library and information science\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 61 No. 1, pp. 130\u201055.","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410510578050"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b58","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2005b), \u201cLibrary and information science and the philosophy of science\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 61 No. 1, pp. 5\u201010.","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410510577970"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b59","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2005c), \u201cComments on the articles and proposals for further work\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 61 No. 1, pp. 156\u201063.","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410510578069"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b60","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hj\u00f8rland, B. (2011), \u201cThe importance of theories of knowledge: indexing and information retrieval as an example\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 62 No. 1, pp. 72\u20107.","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.21451"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b61","unstructured":"Jaccard, J. and Jacoby, J. (2010), Theory Construction and Model\u2010building Skills: A Practical Guide for Social Scientists, The Guilford Press, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b62","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnson, D.J. (2003), \u201cOn contexts of information seeking\u201d, Information Processing & Management, Vol. 39 No. 5, pp. 735\u201060.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0306-4573(02)00030-4"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b63","unstructured":"Johnson, D.J. (2009), \u201cAn impressionistic mapping of information behavior with special attention to contexts, rationality, and ignorance\u201d, Information Processing & Management, Vol. 39 No. 5, pp. 735\u201060."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b64","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Julien, J., Pecoskie, L.J. and Reed, K. (2011), \u201cTrends in information behavior research, 1999\u20132008: a content analysis\u201d, Library & Information Science Research, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 19\u201024.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2010.07.014"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b65","unstructured":"Knoblauch, H., Flick, U. and Maeder, C. (2005), \u201cQualitative methods in Europe: the variety of social research\u201d, Forum Qualitative Research, Vol. 6 No. 3, p. 34."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b66","unstructured":"Kvale, S. and Brinkmann, S. (2009), Interviews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, 2nd ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b67","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Leckie, J.G. and Buschman, E.J. (2010), \u201cIntroduction: the necessity for theoretically informed critique in library and information science\u201d, in Leckie, J.G., Given, L.M. and Buschman, E.J. (Eds), Critical Theory for Library and Information Science: Exploring the Social from across the Discipline, Library Unlimited, Santa Barbara, CA, pp. 7\u201021.","DOI":"10.5040\/9798400634420.0003"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b68","unstructured":"Marshall, C. and Rossman, B.G. (2011), Designing Qualitative Research, 5th ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b69","unstructured":"Maxwell, A.J. (2005), Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach, 2nd ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b70","unstructured":"Parkinson, B.R. (1991), Voices from Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Middle Kingdom Writers, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b71","unstructured":"Patton, Q.M. (2002), Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 3rd ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b72","unstructured":"Pickard, J.A. (2007), Research Methods in Information, Facet, London."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b73","unstructured":"Plato (5th\u20104th c. BC, 1995) in Nehamas, P.A. and Woodruff, P. Transl. (Eds), Hackett, Indianapolis, IN."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b74","unstructured":"Popper, R.K. (1996), The Myth of Framework: In Defence of Science and Rationality, Routledge, New York, NY."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b75","unstructured":"Rainier, R.K. and Cegielski, G.C. (2011), Introduction to Information Systems: Supporting and Transforming Business, 3rd ed., John Wiley, Hoboken, NJ."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b76","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ruddin, P.L. (2006), \u201cYou can generalize stupid! Social scientists, Bent Flyvbjerg, and case study methodology\u201d, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 797\u2010812.","DOI":"10.1177\/1077800406288622"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b77","unstructured":"Ryle, G. (1996), \u201cThe thinking of thoughts: what is \u201cLe penseur\u201d doing?\u201d Studies in Anthropology, Vol. 11, available at: http:\/\/lucy.kent.ac.uk\/CSACSIA\/Vol14\/Papers\/ryle_1.html (accessed September 29, 2009)."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b78","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sandstrom, R.A. and Sandstrom, E.P. (1995), \u201cThe use and misuse of anthropological methods in library and information science research\u201d, Library Quarterly, Vol. 65 No. 2, pp. 161\u201099.","DOI":"10.1086\/602775"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b79","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Saracevic, T. (1999), \u201cInformation science\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 50 No. 12, pp. 1051\u201063.","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1097-4571(1999)50:12<1051::AID-ASI2>3.0.CO;2-Z"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b80","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Saracevic, T. (2007a), \u201cRelevance: a review of the literature and a framework for thinking on the notion in information science. Part II: nature and manifestations of relevance\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 58 No. 13, pp. 1915\u201033.","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.20682"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b81","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Saracevic, T. (2007b), \u201cRelevance: a review of the literature and a framework for thinking on the notion in information science. Part III: behavior and effects of relevance\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 58 No. 13, pp. 2126\u201044.","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.20681"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b82","unstructured":"Saracevic, T. (2010a), \u201cInformation science\u201d, in Bates, J.M. and Maack, N.M. (Eds), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 2570\u201085."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b83","unstructured":"Saracevic, T. (2010b), \u201cForeword\u201d, in Spink, A. (Ed.), Information Behavior: An Evolutionary Instinct, Springer, New York, NY, pp. 7\u20109."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b84","unstructured":"Silverman, D. (2010), Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook, 3rd ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b85","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Spink, A. and Cole, C. (2006), New Directions in Human Information Behavior: Information Science and Knowledge Management, Springer, Dordrecht.","DOI":"10.1007\/1-4020-3670-1"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b86","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Spink, A. and Singh, D. (2012), \u201cIntroduction\u201d, in Spink, A. and Singh, D. (Eds), Library and Information Science Trends and Research: Asia\u2010Oceania, Emerald Group Publishing, Bingley, pp. 3\u201011.","DOI":"10.1108\/S1876-0562(2012)2"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b87","unstructured":"Streubert, J.H. and Carpenter, R.D. (2011), \u201cPreface\u201d, in Streubert, J.H. and Carpenter, R.D. (Eds), Qualitative Research in Nursing: Advancing the Humanistic Imperative, 5th ed., Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA, pp. 11\u201018."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b88","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Suarez, D. (2010), \u201cEvaluating qualitative research studies for evidence based library and information practice\u201d, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 75\u201085.","DOI":"10.18438\/B8V90M"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b89","unstructured":"Sutton, B. (1998), \u201cQualitative research methods in library and information science\u201d, in Kent, A. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Vol. 62, Marcel Dekker, New York, NY, pp. 263\u201084."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b91","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vakkari, P. (1998), \u201cGrowth of theories on information seeking: an analysis of growth of a theoretical research program on the relation between task complexity and information seeking\u201d, Information Processing & Management, Vol. 34 Nos 2\u20103, pp. 361\u201082.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0306-4573(97)00074-5"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b92","unstructured":"Vakkari, P. (2008), \u201cTrends and approaches in information behavior research\u201d, Information Research, Vol. 13 No. 4, available at: http:\/\/InformationR.net\/ir\/13\u20104\/paper361.html (accessed November 22, 2011)."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b93","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Whetten, A.D. (1989), \u201cWhat constitutes a theoretical contribution?\u201d, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 490\u20105.","DOI":"10.5465\/amr.1989.4308371"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b94","unstructured":"Wildemuth, M.B. and Cao, L.L. (2009), \u201cSampling for intensive studies\u201d, in Wildemuth, M.B. (Ed.), Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science, Libraries Unlimited, Westport, CT, pp. 129\u201037."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b95","unstructured":"Wilson, D.T. (2000a), \u201cRecent trends in user studies: action research and qualitative methods\u201d, Information Research, Vol. 5 No. 3, available at: http:\/\/informationr.net\/ir\/5\u20103\/paper76.html (accessed November 26, 2011)."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b96","unstructured":"Wilson, D.T. (2000b), \u201cHuman information behavior\u201d, Informing Science, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 49\u201055."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b97","unstructured":"Wilson, D.T. (2010), \u201cInformation and information science: an address on the occasion of receiving the award of Doctor Honoris Causa, at the University of Murcia, 30 September, 2010\u201d, Information Research, Vol. 15 No. 4, available at: http:\/\/informationr.net\/ir\/15\u20104\/paper439.html (accessed December 19, 2011)."},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_b98","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhu, Q., Sun, X., Du, T.J., Zhao, Y., Wu, K. and Zheng, H. (2012), \u201cVirtual community research in China: a critical review of the LIS literature\u201d, in Spink, A. and Singh, D. (Eds), Library and Information Science Trends and Research: Asia\u2010Oceania, Emerald Group Publishing, Bingley, pp. 231\u201070.","DOI":"10.1108\/S1876-0562(2011)002011b012"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_frg1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Flyvbjerg, B. (2001) in Sampson, S. Transl. (Ed.), Making Social Science Matter: Why Social Inquiry Fails and How It Can Succeed again, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511810503"},{"key":"key2022032220152318700_frg2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sutton, B. (2010), \u201cQualitative research methods in library and information science\u201d, in Bates, J.M. and Maack, N.M. (Eds), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 4380\u201093.","DOI":"10.1081\/E-ELIS3-120044785"}],"container-title":["Journal of Documentation"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/00220411311300048","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00220411311300048\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00220411311300048\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:38:34Z","timestamp":1753400314000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/jd\/article\/69\/2\/194-213\/198924"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2013,3,1]]},"references-count":98,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,3,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/00220411311300048"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00220411311300048","relation":{},"ISSN":["0022-0418"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0022-0418"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2013,3,1]]}}}