Reviews of recent research literature – 7

Citation

Nazari, M. and Gorman, G.E. (2013), "Reviews of recent research literature – 7", Online Information Review, Vol. 37 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir.2013.26437caa.002

Reviews of recent research literature – 7

Article Type: Reviews of recent research literature – 7 From: Online Information Review, Volume 37, Issue 3

The literature of research, including theory, method and methodology, has become a substantial subset of the publishing industry in its traditional, electronic and hybrid forms. In this occasional series of reviews we focus on recent titles that address the many issues of research. The intention is to inform both established researchers and students of research. In this instalment the focus is eclectic, ranging from data analysis to ethical issues, and the quality of titles is equally wide ranging. Our assessment of each title is indicated by the number of stars (five being the highest recommendation).

An Applied Reference Guide to Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed MethodsW. Alex Edmonds and Tom D. KennedySage PublicationsLondon2013 [March 2012]213 pp.£38.99 soft coverISBN 9781452205090Assessment * * *

Designing and Doing Survey ResearchLesley AndresSage PublicationsThousand Oaks, CA2012197 pp.US$42.95 soft coverISBN 9781849208130Assessment * *

Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 2nd ed.H. Russell BernardSage PublicationsThousand Oaks, CA2013 [May 2012]787 pp.£39.99 hard coverISBN 9781412978545Assessment * * *

Social Information ResearchEdited by Gunilla Widén and Kim HolmbergEmerald Group PublishingBingley2012282 pp.£69.66 hard coverLibrary and Information Science [Series]ISBN 9781780528328Assessment * * * *

The first work in this collection, by Edmonds and Kennedy, helps researchers in selecting a design that best meets their requirements in gathering the data needed to address their research question or hypothesis, and in analysing these data to ensure robust results.

According to the authors, this is an area most students struggle to understand, and, until now, there has been no comprehensive guide to assist them. To fill this lacuna Edmonds and Kennedy offer clear instructions on the actual practice of various types of research design in various settings, from laboratory to virtual environments. Using a wide range of visual aids (diagrams and visual models) and real-world examples, the authors provide readers with a self-contained package by which they can decide on what design to select for their study, and how to employ their selected design to address their research questions.

After developing their definitions of the four most used concepts in research (method, research, approach, design), the authors discuss various design types in the context of different types of research, ranging from experimental to non-experimental. The content is designed in four parts and 20 chapters.

Part 1 (six chapters) discusses quantitative methods for experimental and quasi-experimental research, highlighting such approaches and designs as the between-subject approach, regression-discontinuity approach, factorial designs and the Solomon N-group design. Part 2 addresses quantitative methods for non-experimental research and discusses two popular approaches (observation and surveys) and six associated design types (ex post facto and post-test only designs, explanatory and predictive designs, etc.).

Part 3 discusses four popular qualitative approaches – i.e. grounded theory, ethnography, narrative and phenomenology – and the associated basic designs and their applications. These include systematic, emerging and constructive designs associated with grounded theory; descriptive, explanatory and critical designs associated with the narrative approach; and existential, transcendental and hermeneutic designs associated with phenomenology.

Part 4 addresses four main approaches to mixed methods, each followed by associated basic designs. These are convergent-parallel, embedded, explanatory-sequential and exploratory-sequential approaches. The authors address 13 different types of designs for mixed methods research, ranging from data transformation and data validation to multilevel designs suggested for the convergent-parallel approach, etc. Further details on less common designs for experimental and quasi-experimental research, as well as different types of case studies and mixed methods designs, are presented in separate appendices. In the concluding chapter the authors discuss the role of research question, hypothesis, and research aim/objective in selecting appropriate research designs.

In addition to the visual aids and examples in each chapter the authors offer brief descriptions of published studies that have utilised the various designs. They also invite readers to a companion URL on the SAGE website where they can obtain the full-text version of the published studies (available at www.sagepub.com/edmonds). This will assist readers in gaining more focused knowledge on each design, as they are discussed in the context of high-quality published research.

This book is recommended to those seeking to develop their understanding of research design and wishing to adopt appropriate designs to conduct credible research, particularly in the areas of the social and behavioral sciences.

Two ancient Greeks are standing in front of temple ruins, and woman holding a guest list says to bearded man: “Why don’t we invite Hypothesis? It’s always good to have an educated guest”. Ba-boom. This characterises the sought-after accessibility of Lesley Andres’ Designing and Doing Survey Research, but it seems that the cartoons are probably the most accessible components of the work. Though lacking an introduction (a most peculiar omission), it is clear throughout that Andres has an eye on the student reader new to survey research: largely clear and direct language, occasionally effective examples, the use of light-hearted cartoons, end-of-chapter exercises and very brief reading lists all point to this readership.

In ten chapters ranging from 12 to 30 pages, Andres follows the standard sequential structure from survey research process to data analysis. These chapters are topped and tailed by an opening chapter on this history of survey research design – something students might not appreciate initially, but which helps them understand the relevance of context to survey research – and a concluding chapter on “next steps”, which looks at ways of enhancing survey findings and expanding the scope of survey research, as well as the usual discussion of how to share survey results.

In each chapter the author takes a summary approach to the main issues, without any reference to more extended discussions that are to be had in such works as Edmonds and Kennedy or Barnard, both reviewed in this set of reviews. This is surely a hindrance to understanding by the target audience. Take just Chapter 3 (Conceptualizing Your Survey Research Study) as an example: the formulation of research problems is treated in one page, never enough for students in my experience; the discussion of concepts includes no examples to assist in understanding this difficult part of the research development process; Figure 3.1 (p. 39) on variables (latent and indicator, exogenous and endogenous, independent and dependent) is extremely complex, and the wrap-around text does little to illuminate what the figure is intended to show. The discussion of variables as mediators built around the triangulated Figure 3.2 (p. 40) reminds me of Abbot and Costello’s classic “Who’s on First”: “In the A→B→C causal path, A remains independent in relation to B and C; B is independent of C, and C is dependent on B. However, B is dependent on A”. And I thought I understood mediating variables … .

To be fair to the author, the basics of survey research are all here, and the exercises in each chapter will help focus readers’ attention on the essential points. Sometimes the examples do illuminate text well, for instance budgets in Example 8.1 (p. 132). And there is extensive use of helpful screenshots of SPSS and ATLAS.ti in action (Chapter 9). However, the lack of extended discussion and the failure to offer examples of some of the more difficult concepts and processes work to the detriment of this text. One hopes that a later and extended edition might correct some of these oversights.

In Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, which has some overlap in scope and content with Edmonds and Kennedy’s work, there is considerable detail on the history and philosophical foundations of social and behavioral research, ranging from the “what” to the “how-to” of social research.

Bernard has designed the content in four parts, 22 chapters and five appendices. To make sure the message of each chapter is clearly communicated, he employs a wealth of examples and reading lists. He also provides the reader with a description of key concepts employed in each chapter.

Part 1 is devoted to the story of social science and its historical roots. It begins with the story of successes and failures in the social sciences, followed by the development of modern social science and its philosophical foundations, language and logic, and ends with some key considerations social researchers should take into account when preparing for social research. This includes having a realistic mindset for research in terms of the process itself, resources available for the research, ethics, idea generation and meta-analysis.

Part 2 (four chapters) discusses a wide range of research designs for experimental research, the basics, different types of sampling, and considerations that should be taken into account when designing research and selecting informants. Part 3 (eight chapters) discusses various types of methods and instruments that can be employed in gathering qualitative and quantitative data. The first three chapters discuss types of interviewing: unstructured and semi-structured, questionnaires, and relational data obtainable from different domains and networks. The fourth chapter in this part discusses various types of scales, including simple, Guttman and Likert scales and the various ways of scaling in research. And the last three chapters present a full discussion of three methods: participant observation, field notes and database management, and direct and indirect observation.

Part 4 (eight chapters) is devoted to data analysis. It begins by introducing qualitative and quantitative analysis, followed by the “how-to” of data analysis in the remaining chapters. This includes discussion of the main issues in qualitative data analysis and the methods for analyzing quantitative data. This is a fairly standard discussion overall, but Bernard makes issues clear through his use of simple and uncomplicated language, and diagrams and examples from actual research.

More focused than general texts on research methods, Social Information Research presents a selection of current published research on different aspects of social information as part of information behaviour research in general, with particular emphasis on the social media context.

It begins with the editors’ analytical review of the development of social information research themes and topics, 1975-2012. Here they demonstrate a transition in social information research, shifting from an emphasis on social theories in information science and the role of public libraries in society from 1975 to 1989, to social context, content and user sense-making, mainly in virtual environments, in the first 12 years of this century.

The book presents three different social information perspectives in three sections: user, content and context. The first section presents four studies addressing the user perspective and social construction in different settings. These settings include Olsson’s study of theatre professionals’ relationships to information and their individual and collective sense-making, Godbold’s study of people’s descriptions and sense-making in online discussion groups, Heinstrom and Sormunen’s study of upper secondary students’ group work attitudes and experiences in collaborative wiki writing. Overall these settings show how social information emerges from people’s connection and interaction with each other and their sense making throughout the process.

The second section presents three studies focusing on the context of using and sharing information, including Twitter, gaming and the semantic web. The first study highlights the role of Twitter in enhancing library services. The second study introduces social constructivism in a gaming context as a relatively new context studied from an information science perspective. And the final study discusses the potential of the semantic web as a source of information about social networks within academia.

The third section delivers two studies discussing social information from a content perspective. The first discusses the impact of scientific information published on a video-sharing site and offers suggestions to academics producing and disseminating videos on YouTube. The second study discusses how social media have been used and implemented in organisations; this brings new insights into different information practices concerning social media in organisations and information professionals’ use of social media. The third study discusses how different metrics can form the foundation of a system for researchers to build or expand networking and collaborating with other researchers.

This book is recommended to those interested in social information research and information behavior studies in virtual environments, especially those seeking more holistic understanding of the subject. The diversity in types of data, settings and data collection methods and analysis in this collection provides the reader with a wide spectrum of methods and designs for consideration.

Maryam NazariUniversity of Tehran

G.E. GormanAsia-New Zealand Informatics Associates