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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2023

Niels Windfeld Lund

The purpose of the paper is to analyze how the Neo-documentalist movement, initiated in 1996 by Michael Buckland, Boyd Rayward and Niels Lund, has evolved in its 27 years history…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to analyze how the Neo-documentalist movement, initiated in 1996 by Michael Buckland, Boyd Rayward and Niels Lund, has evolved in its 27 years history, how the choice of documentation as name of the new program in Tromsø has made a difference in the LIS field and how different documentation scholars around the world has participated and approached the movement until now.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper has approached the “Neo-documentalist movement” in a historical perspective from 1996 to 2023 discussing what difference does the choice of a concept make, when the concept of documentation is chosen instead of information in the name of a program and for the general discussion of the object of an academic field like Library and Information Science.

Findings

The analysis shows that it did make a difference to choose the concept of documentation as name of the program in Tromsø and the Neo-documentalist movement contributed to a new focus and discussion of the informative objects, the documents and their creation, not only in Tromsø, but in different parts of the world across linguistic borders.

Originality/value

The paper is original by the fact that it is the first time that the neo documentalist movement has been reviewed on a global scale across linguistic barriers. It has value by a discussion of the ways in which a choice of concept matter in relation to defining a field and the research agenda.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2024

Wayne de Fremery and Michael Keeble Buckland

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new and useful formulation of relevance.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new and useful formulation of relevance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is formulated as a conceptual argument. It makes the case for the utility of considering relevance to be function of use in creative processes.

Findings

There are several corollaries to formulating relevance as a function of use. These include the idea that objects by themselves cannot be relevant since use assumes interaction; the affordances of objects and how they are perceived can affect what becomes relevant but are not in themselves relevant; relevance is not an essential characteristic of objects; relevance is transient; potential relevance (what might be relevant in the future) can be distinguished from what is relevant in use and from what has been relevant in the past.

Originality/value

The paper shows that its new formulation of relevance brings improved conceptual and terminological clarity to the discourse about relevance in information science. It demonstrates that how relevance is articulated conceptually is important as its conceptualization can affect the ways that users are able to make use of information systems and, by extension, how information systems can facilitate or disable the co-production of creative outcomes. The paper also usefully expands investigative opportunities by suggesting relevance and creativity are interrelated.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 March 2024

Raj Kumar Bhardwaj, Ritesh Kumar and Mohammad Nazim

This paper evaluates the precision of four metasearch engines (MSEs) – DuckDuckGo, Dogpile, Metacrawler and Startpage, to determine which metasearch engine exhibits the highest…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper evaluates the precision of four metasearch engines (MSEs) – DuckDuckGo, Dogpile, Metacrawler and Startpage, to determine which metasearch engine exhibits the highest level of precision and to identify the metasearch engine that is most likely to return the most relevant search results.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is divided into two parts: the first phase involves four queries categorized into two segments (4-Q-2-S), while the second phase includes six queries divided into three segments (6-Q-3-S). These queries vary in complexity, falling into three types: simple, phrase and complex. The precision, average precision and the presence of duplicates across all the evaluated metasearch engines are determined.

Findings

The study clearly demonstrated that Startpage returned the most relevant results and achieved the highest precision (0.98) among the four MSEs. Conversely, DuckDuckGo exhibited consistent performance across both phases of the study.

Research limitations/implications

The study only evaluated four metasearch engines, which may not be representative of all available metasearch engines. Additionally, a limited number of queries were used, which may not be sufficient to generalize the findings to all types of queries.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can be valuable for accreditation agencies in managing duplicates, improving their search capabilities and obtaining more relevant and precise results. These findings can also assist users in selecting the best metasearch engine based on precision rather than interface.

Originality/value

The study is the first of its kind which evaluates the four metasearch engines. No similar study has been conducted in the past to measure the performance of metasearch engines.

Details

Performance Measurement and Metrics, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-8047

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 March 2024

Taylah Brown, Charlotte Smedley and Jacqui Cameron

Despite a significant evidence base illustrating the issue of housing insecurity and homelessness experienced by women over the age of 55 in Australia [Pawson et al., 2018;…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite a significant evidence base illustrating the issue of housing insecurity and homelessness experienced by women over the age of 55 in Australia [Pawson et al., 2018; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2021b; Mission Australia 2022; Per Capita 2022], there continues to be a knowledge gap in the representation of older women in current Federal and New South Wales (NSW) State Government housing and homelessness policies and initiatives. This paper aims to identify the extent and ways in which older women were represented (or not represented) in the Federal and NSW State housing and homelessness policies in 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

Of the total primary and supplementary Federal and NSW State policy and strategy documents, 16 were collected through a systematic review and then analysed using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework and feminist lens to explore quotes, phrases, keywords and language choices which suggested prevalent themes, rhetorical devices and dominant discourses.

Findings

Three significant themes were identified by the analysis (1) “relinquished responsibility”, (2) “inconsistent rhetoric” and (3) “homogenising and ideological cherry picking”. These themes presented the authors with three main discussion points to inform policy reform which we have addressed in relation to policy implications, evidence-based policy decision-making and impacts on older women.

Originality/value

The combination of a systematic review with CDA provides a unique approach to exploring homelessness policy for older women.

Details

Housing, Care and Support, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 May 2023

Rongen Yan, Depeng Dang, Hu Gao, Yan Wu and Wenhui Yu

Question answering (QA) answers the questions asked by people in the form of natural language. In the QA, due to the subjectivity of users, the questions they query have different…

Abstract

Purpose

Question answering (QA) answers the questions asked by people in the form of natural language. In the QA, due to the subjectivity of users, the questions they query have different expressions, which increases the difficulty of text retrieval. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore new query rewriting method for QA that integrates multiple related questions (RQs) to form an optimal question. Moreover, it is important to generate a new dataset of the original query (OQ) with multiple RQs.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collects a new dataset SQuAD_extend by crawling the QA community and uses word-graph to model the collected OQs. Next, Beam search finds the best path to get the best question. To deeply represent the features of the question, pretrained model BERT is used to model sentences.

Findings

The experimental results show three outstanding findings. (1) The quality of the answers is better after adding the RQs of the OQs. (2) The word-graph that is used to model the problem and choose the optimal path is conducive to finding the best question. (3) Finally, BERT can deeply characterize the semantics of the exact problem.

Originality/value

The proposed method can use word-graph to construct multiple questions and select the optimal path for rewriting the question, and the quality of answers is better than the baseline. In practice, the research results can help guide users to clarify their query intentions and finally achieve the best answer.

Details

Data Technologies and Applications, vol. 58 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2024

Martin Muderspach Thellefsen

The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to provide a nuanced understanding of the information concept that encapsulates both its universal foundations and context-dependent…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to provide a nuanced understanding of the information concept that encapsulates both its universal foundations and context-dependent intricacies, and second, to propose a theoretical framework that integrates these diverse viewpoints, thereby contributing to the theoretical discourse and practical applications in information science/studies (IS).

Design/methodology/approach

The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between universalism and pluralism in connection with semiotics. The paper adopts a conceptual approach based on semiotics to address the long-standing debate over the definition of information in IS. By engaging with two foundational semiotic theories—C.S. Peirce's pragmatic semiotics and Ferdinand de Saussure's structuralist semiotics – the research seeks to bridge the conflicting perspectives of universalism and pluralism within the field.

Findings

The findings reveal that Peirce's semiotics, with its universalist core, views information as dynamic and shaped by context, while Saussure's approach, which is rooted in linguistics, emphasizes the relational aspects of sign systems and connects them to pluralism. This comparative analysis facilitates a broad understanding of information that transcends the limitations of singular perspectives. In conclusion, the paper seeks to demonstrate that the integration of universalist and pluralist perspectives through semiotics offers a more holistic approach to the study of information in IS. It contributes to the field by suggesting that the tension between these perspectives is not only reconcilable but also essential for a richer and more complete understanding of information. This theoretical foundation paves the way for future research and practical advancements in IS and advocates for approaches that recognize the complexity and multifaceted nature of information.

Research limitations/implications

The study engages with theoretical frameworks, predominantly semiotic theories by C.S. Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure. While this provides a deep conceptual understanding, the lack of empirical data may limit the practical applicability of the findings. The research focuses on two semiotic perspectives, which, although foundational, do not represent the entirety of semiotics or information theory. Other significant semiotic theories and perspectives could provide alternative or complementary insights. The concepts of universalism and pluralism in information science are highly intricate and multifaceted. This study's approach to synthesizing these concepts, while comprehensive, might oversimplify some aspects of these complex paradigms.

Originality/value

The paper's originality lies in its unique integration of semiotic theories into the discourse of IS. This integration offers a novel perspective on understanding the concept of information, bridging the gap between universalist and pluralist approaches. The study presents a new conceptual framework for understanding information that combines elements of universalism (consistent, objective understanding of information) and pluralism (context-dependent, subjective interpretations). This dual approach is relatively unexplored in IS literature, providing fresh insights into the complex nature of information.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 July 2022

Chunlai Yan, Hongxia Li, Ruihui Pu, Jirawan Deeprasert and Nuttapong Jotikasthira

This study aims to provide a systematic and complete knowledge map for use by researchers working in the field of research data. Additionally, the aim is to help them quickly…

1695

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide a systematic and complete knowledge map for use by researchers working in the field of research data. Additionally, the aim is to help them quickly understand the authors' collaboration characteristics, institutional collaboration characteristics, trending research topics, evolutionary trends and research frontiers of scholars from the perspective of library informatics.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopt the bibliometric method, and with the help of bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace and VOSviewer, quantitatively analyze the retrieved literature data. The analysis results are presented in the form of tables and visualization maps in this paper.

Findings

The research results from this study show that collaboration between scholars and institutions is weak. It also identified the current hotspots in the field of research data, these being: data literacy education, research data sharing, data integration management and joint library cataloguing and data research support services, among others. The important dimensions to consider for future research are the library's participation in a trans-organizational and trans-stage integration of research data, functional improvement of a research data sharing platform, practice of data literacy education methods and models, and improvement of research data service quality.

Originality/value

Previous literature reviews on research data are qualitative studies, while few are quantitative studies. Therefore, this paper uses quantitative research methods, such as bibliometrics, data mining and knowledge map, to reveal the research progress and trend systematically and intuitively on the research data topic based on published literature, and to provide a reference for the further study of this topic in the future.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2023

Prerana  , Deepa Kapoor and Abhay Jain

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of sustainable tourism research published in Scopus-indexed journals covering the period from 1997 to 2021. Articles published…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of sustainable tourism research published in Scopus-indexed journals covering the period from 1997 to 2021. Articles published during these 25 years were subjected to science mapping and performance analysis to propose potential areas for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric analysis using performance analysis and science mapping was conducted on 1,754 research papers retrieved from the Scopus database using the keyword “sustainable tourism.” Biblioshiny and VOSviewer are commonly used bibliometric tools. Science mapping techniques use coauthorship, keyword co-occurrence and co-citation analyses.

Findings

This study revealed the sustainable tourism publications’ spatial and temporal patterns, indicating a yearly growth rate of 19.9% during a 25-year period. The study identified Stefan Gossling as the most influential author, the “Journal of Sustainable Tourism” as the leading journal and Australia as the most productive country in sustainable tourism literature. The study used co-citation analysis to identify five thematic clusters, namely, reconceptualization and criticism, the role of residents, eco-labeling and the role of stakeholders, community-based tourism and the shift toward establishing sustainability indicators and effective governance and policymaking. The coauthorship analysis identifies the most influential author in collaborative efforts, and the most common pattern of collaboration is between researchers from different institutions in the same country, such as China and the Philippines, followed by collaborations between authors from other countries. The keyword co-occurrence analysis uncovered keywords that aligned with theme clusters generated from the co-citation analysis.

Originality/value

This study comprehensively uncovers five thematic clusters that have never been extracted so far in the literature. Also, it attempts to fill the gaps related to sustainable tourism by suggesting directions for future research.

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2024

Chad R. Lochmiller

This study explores factors that influence the initiation of leadership coaching relationships that include externally employed coaches and school administrators.

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores factors that influence the initiation of leadership coaching relationships that include externally employed coaches and school administrators.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative research study includes semi-structured interviews, observations and documents collected across three academic years within the context of a university-based leadership coaching program. Participants included six leadership coaches and six school administrators who participated in the program.

Findings

Qualitative analysis indicates that gender and race, prior professional experience, pre-existing professional relationships and the complexity of the district’s organizational structure influence the initiation of the coaching relationship.

Research limitations/implications

Confidentiality restrictions imposed by the program limit opportunities for member checking and other forms of triangulation. Additional data collection using more expansive research methods would help address this limitation.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the sparse literature about leadership coaching with school administrators by describing how different factors influence initiation coaching relationships.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 March 2023

Qiang Wang, Min Zhang and Rongrong Li

The aim of this study is to undertake a systematic analysis of the supply chain literature to uncover the changes and patterns of international cooperation in the context of the…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to undertake a systematic analysis of the supply chain literature to uncover the changes and patterns of international cooperation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the information on supply chain-related publications in the Web of Science (WOS) database is analyzed using statistical techniques and visual approaches. The focus is on the five countries with the highest number of supply chain publications, accounting for approximately 70% of global publications. This in-depth analysis aims to provide a clearer understanding of the cooperation patterns and their impact on the supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The results of the study reveal that the growth rate of international cooperation in supply chain research during the COVID-19 pandemic is higher compared to the 5-year and 10-year periods before the pandemic. This suggests that the pandemic has not hindered international cooperation in the field, but instead has increased collaboration. In terms of international cooperation patterns, the findings indicate that China and the USA have a strong partnership, with China being the largest partner for the USA and vice versa. The UK's largest partner is China, India's largest partner is the UK and Italy's largest partner is also the UK. This implies that trade, rather than the pandemic, is a determining factor in supply chain research.

Research limitations/implications

This study examines the patterns of international cooperation in supply chain research during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing insights into the changes and mechanisms of international cooperation in this field. Moreover, the results of this study may offer practical benefits for supply chain operators and managers. By providing a deeper understanding of the international cooperation patterns in the field, this research could contribute to the recovery and growth of the global supply chain.

Social implications

This study's analysis of the impact of crisis events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on international cooperation in supply chain research contributes to the theoretical development of the field. Additionally, by examining how academia responds to emergencies, it provides valuable insights for operations and supply chain managers in their pursuit of more effective supply chain management.

Originality/value

This study provides a preliminary examination of the international cooperation patterns of supply chain research in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, representing a novel and early contribution to the existing literature, helping to expand upon current understanding in the field and provide a more comprehensive perspective. Furthermore, this study offers a practical analysis strategy for future supply chain research, fostering progress and growth in the field.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

1 – 10 of 317