Research Methods: Information, Systems and Contexts makes an impact with its large format and clean graphics on the cover. It has a “pick me up” feel about it. Most of the contributors are Australian academics, many of them from the Caulfield School of Information Technology, Monash University and the School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University. Other writers are academics working in Australian universities, and one is from Los Angeles. The editors are also from Australia. Given the dominance in information science of texts from the UK and the North America this new book is a welcome window to the work of scholars from elsewhere.
This is a work of considerable breadth. 22 chapters are divided into four overarching sections: foundations and framing, research methods, research techniques, research practice and communication. The chapters cover both qualitative and quantitative practice as they apply to information science researchers. The strength of this book is its focus on academic research and it provides many references to the writers' own projects and data. These contributions can be considered exemplars for others wanting to undertake similar work in the many, and growing, fields in which information science researchers can make a contribution including archives, records, information management, and librarianship. It is pleasing to note that the editors have taken note of the “I” in the LIS disciplines with this approach. All too often libraries and information science are dealt with as somewhat separate and apart rather than as a whole. If we live in the “information age” then this division seems dated. The removal of information “silos” is a worthy approach in this text.
The book is well priced and will make a useful addition to the personal library of information science students undertaking research projects, as well as more experienced researchers. The sections on research methods and on research techniques will be particularly useful. References are included at end of each chapter, rather than at the end of the book as is common (and irritating) in many scholarly works. There is also has an extensive subject index and an index of authors with page numbers for each citation. These additions make the work easy to navigate for those new to the topics covered and are extremely helpful.
Although this is a work of primary interest to academic researchers, practitioners wishing to broaden their vision about research methods and practice will find Section II: research methods, particularly helpful. It deals with the ubiquitous user surveys but also explores case studies, action research, grounded theory, and numerous other approaches that practitioners will find very helpful.
The final section, research practice and communication, is an important one for all readers. Scholarly communication is somewhat of a mystery to many and is often not well covered in the supervision process or in other research texts. This section will also be of value to practitioner researchers who want to publish their work (and more should!). It is pleasing to see the inclusion of a small piece (if somewhat limited) on emerging forms of dissemination. While peer review and publication in academic journals is still the preferred route for many who wish to disseminate their work, the delays in this process and the crowded market are serving to encourage academics and practitioners alike to the explore more creative and accessible ways to report their research.
The editors have produced a text that has wide application and is well priced for a broad audience. It is a welcome addition to the field of research methods in information science.
(Note: The book is available directly from Tilde University Press, a niche academic publisher of textbooks. See www.tup.net.au/publications-new/Research_Methods.aspx).
