LIS 570 Ways of knowing and the research process

Research is everywhere  The need for research methods literacy to protect yourself from misleading research conclusions to empower yourself to use valid social science research to enable the essential function of research communication the partnership between the researcher and the consumer of research

Sources of understanding  How do we know what we know?  Variations in explanations e.g. deviance  Personal experience  Tradition can be a powerful force operating against inquiry

Sources of understanding  Authority how do we select?  Public opinion people can agree on things that are inaccurate  Common errors in understanding we can observe inaccurately we can overgeneralise we can be guilty of selective perception

Research “Disciplined way of coming to know something about ourselves or our world“(Bouma) “..the systematic effort to secure answers to questions” (Reinard) “.. a process by which we answer questions and try to draw conclusions from information gathered..” (Reinard)

Research in the social sciences  Features of the scientific method empirical verifiable cumulative self-correcting deterministic ethical and ideological neutrality statistical generalizability

Research  Disciplined Inquiry Problem based Systematic: Methodical Established sources of evidence Sound argument Concern for Error  Anticipation  Control (Elimination)  Discussion of the Margin of error Public Original, Novel

Research in LIS570  Purpose Description What is …. Search for Relationships Association Between Ideas (Concepts) Search for Explanations Cause and Effect Relationships

The Phases of Research  Phase 1: Essential First Steps  Phase 2: Data Collection  Phase 3: Analysis and Interpretation

Essential First Steps  Phase 1 Select, Narrow and State Problem Exploratory Qualitative Research Select a Research Design Design and Devise Measures for Variables Measurement Process Select Tables for Analysis Select a Sample