Unit 5 Research Method, Design, and Sampling; Ethics; Theory - JML

Eldredge, J. D. (2004). Inventory of research methods for librarianship and informatics. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 92(1), 83-90. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC314107/

Traditionally: case study, program evaluation, and survey research methodologies

Now utilizing wider array of research methods :

Analysis -
detailed examination of anything complex - understand it's nature or essential features

Audit -
review multiple variables, identify strengths and weaknesses, strict criteria formulated in advance, what should be done, protocol or plan compares to actually do.

Autobiography -
written by self about self(whole life, segment or episode)

Bibliomining -
see Data Mining

Biography -
narrative account of notable's life (whole life, segment or episode)

Case Study -
describe / analyze self experiences with a process, group, innovation, technology, project, population program or organization
explicitly state, prior to beginning, questions, propositions, unit(s) of analysis, logic & criteria for interpretation

Citation Analysis -
see Descriptive Survey

Cohort Design - track over time, defined population sharing set of common characteristics - encountering possible intended or not exposure to phenomenon or subsequent observable change in population, consequence of exposure.

Comparative Study -
systematic effort to find similarities and differences between 2 or more observed phenomena

Content Analysis -
maps non-numerical artifacts (text) into matrix of statistically manipulated symbols, to reduce large body of qualitative info to manageable size

Data Mining -
discovery of meaningful patterns from low-level data with automated methods (statistical or AI tools) - in libraries: Bibliomining

Delphi method -
anonymous participants response to questions over iterations to reach quantitative group decisions.

Descriptive Survey -
seeks to ascertain respondents' perspectives or experiences on a subject in predetermined structured way.

Focus Group -
generates data with small group setting, analyzed to help in planning/decisions, evaluate programs, products/services - develop model /theory,

Gap Analysis -
survey to detect discrepancies/gaps customer expectations or org and ability to deliver

History -
seeks to recreate accurate past although their is dispute. reveal cause/effect

Longitudinal Study -
see Cohort Study

Meta-Analysis -
combine identical/comparable data sets, 2 or more studies to create larger pool of results to strengthen conclusion

Narrative Review - 
literature review on broadly defined subject, write intro overview, describe current research/controversies (offers concise intro to broad subjects)

Participant Observation -
researcher - community meet to study(understand situation from perspective of participants

Program Evaluation  -
systematic assessment of operation / outcome of program/policy, compare to explicit or implicit standards.

Randomized Controlled Trial -
carefully defined and assembled population. complies with predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. divided into random control group - std treatment or none

Summing Up -
cluster of methods (book written to describe) where meta-analysis cannot synthesize

Systematic Reviews -
minimize bias, integrating multiple studies / concise summary of best evidence to critically appraise and synthesize relevant studies. quantitative or qualitative, related to summing up

Unobtrusive Observation -
ethical concerns (participants do not know they are being studied)