Domain analytic paradigm: a quarter century exploration of fundamental ideas in information science
ISSN: 0022-0418
Article publication date: 9 December 2021
Issue publication date: 9 August 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The conditions that domain analysis becomes an academic school of information science (IS) are mature. Domain analysis is one of the most important foundations of IS. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss metatheoretical and theoretical issues in the domain analytic paradigm in IS.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts a systematic review of representative publications of domain analysis. The analysis considered degree theses, journal articles, book chapters, conference papers and other materials.
Findings
Domain analysis maintains that community is the new focus of IS research. Although domain analysis centers on the domain and community, theoretical concerns on the social and individual dimensions of IS are inherent in it by its using sociology as its important approach and socio-cognitive viewpoint. For these reasons domain analysis can integrate social–community–individual levels of IS discipline as a whole. The role of subject knowledge in IS is discussed from the perspective of domain analysis. Realistic pragmatism that forms the philosophical foundation of domain analysis is argued and the implications of these theories to IS are presented.
Originality/value
The intellectual evolving landscape of domain analysis during a quarter century is comprehensively reviewed. Over the past twenty-five years, domain analysis has established its academic status in the international IS circle. Being an important metatheory, paradigm and methodology, domain analysis becomes the theoretical foundation of IS research. This paper assesses the current state of domain analysis and shows the contributions of domain analysis to IS. It also aims to inspire further exploration.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors express our thanks to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments. This paper is an achievement of projects of Chinese National Social Science Key Funding “Big Data-Driven Cloud Platform Construction and Intelligent Service of Science and Education Evaluation” (Project Number: 19ZDA348) and Chinese National Social Science Key Funding “Chinese Information Poor People’s Health Anxiety and Psychological Dredging under Healthy China Strategy” (Project Number: 21ATQ005).
Citation
Wang, L. and Qiu, J. (2022), "Domain analytic paradigm: a quarter century exploration of fundamental ideas in information science", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 78 No. 5, pp. 1027-1052. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-12-2020-0219
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited