INFO5520 - Week 1
Plan
- Course rational
- What is research
- Key terms
- Assignments
Course rationale
Course description
All information professionals require knowledge of formal research processes to support the goals of their organizations through evidence-informed decision-making. The course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of research, the nature and uses of research, philosophical underpinnings of qualitative and quantitative research frameworks, tools and methodologies, research ethics, evaluation of published reports, writing research proposals, and project management.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the research process.
- Critically evaluate research.
- Understand and apply qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Understand and apply core research ethics principles.
- Understand how research can be practiced in different contexts.
- Develop a research proposal.
- Communicate research effectively.
What is research?
A simple definition
Research is a process aimed at advancing knowledge
The five phases of the research process
Source: Fortin & Gagnon (2016).
- Conceptual phase
- Formulation of the research problem, purpose, and questions.
- Identification and definition of key concepts.
- Review of the literature.
- Methodological phase
- Development of a research design, a strategy to answer the research questions and fulfill the goal of the study.
- Empirical phase
- Actual collection of the data.
- Analytical phase
- Data analysis (production of the results)
- Interpretation of the results.
- Reporting phase
- Dissemination of the findings to target audiences through various formats (journal articles, blogs, dissertation, oral presentations, poster presentations, etc.)
Research is situational
- Organizational context
- Disciplinary context
- Socio-cultural context
Knowledge claims are directed to a more or less broad audience that is the ultimate judge of its validity and its utility.
Research can have many goals
- Know and understand phenomena (basic/fundamental research)
- Solve problems (applied research)
- Explore
- Describe
- Compare
- Explain
- Predict
- Evaluate
Research can take different forms
Quantitative research
- Measures, counts.
- Focus on validity, reliability, objectivity, generalizability.
- Types of methodological approach (descriptive, correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental, etc.).
Qualitative research
- Rich descriptions, nuances.
- Focus on subjectivity, trustworthiness, accuracy, transferability.
- Types of methodological approach (phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, critical theory, case studies, etc.).
Mixed methods research
- Combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a more complete picture of the object of study and benefit from the strengths of both approaches.
Key concepts
Fact, law, hypothesis, theory
- Facts: Observed things or events. (e.g., if I drop an object, it will fall).
- Laws: Predictive statements about a natural phenomenon that are generally true (e.g. a mathematical equation, like E=mc2). Does not explain how or why.
- Hypothesis: A tentative explanation of a phenomenon that can be tested.
- Theory: A justified true belief (knowledge) that explains a phenomenon resulting from a rigorous process of testing hypotheses and eliminating the wrong ones.
Ontology, epistemology, axiology
Ontology is interested in the nature of what exists, what is known and whan can be know.
Epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge. What is knowledge and how can knowledge be produced?
Axiology is concerned with the role of values and beliefs in research (for
Positivism, postpositivism, interpretivism
Positivism
- Ontology: there is an objective reality that can known with certainty.
- Epistemology: knowledge is produced by applying reason and logic to observations and experiences. Emphasis on quantitative methods.
- Axiology: Biases and values play no role in research. It is value-free or value-neutral.
Postpositivism
- Ontology: there is an objective reality, but it can only be partially known (with a certain degree of probability).
- Epistemology: knowledge is produced by accumulating evidence to produce a justified true belief. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are considered valid.
- Axiology: Biases and values are inevitable but undesirable. They should be acknowledge and mitigated.
Interpretativism
- Ontology: we cannot know an objective reality, we can only know about a subjective reality through individual perceptions.
- Epistemology: knowledge is constructed through social interactions, language, and interpretations. Mainly associated with qualitative research methods.
- Axiology: Values and beliefs are an intrinsic part of the research. Focus on rigour and trustworthiness instead or objectivity and elimination of biases (Galdas, 2017).
Positionality, reflexivity
Positionality: what we value and believe as individual researchers.
Reflexivity: “The process of engaging in self-reflection about who we are as researchers, how our subjectivities and biases guide and inform the research process, and how our worldview is shaped by the research we do and vice versa” (Jamieson et al., 2023, p. 2)
Methodology, method, instrument
Methodology: High-level description of the research approach, which can include:
- The ontological, epistemic, and axiological positioning of the research and the researcher.
- The type of research method (quantitative, qualitative) and approach (exploratory, descriptive, correlational, predictive, (quasi-)experiemental, phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded theory, etc.)
Method: Specific, reproducible process used to collect, process, and analyze data (survey, interview, focus group).
Instruments: the specific instruments used to collect the data (e.g. the survey questions, the interview guide). They are usually included as appendices to the research report.
Deduction, induction, abduction
Deduction: Logical conclusion derived from a set of premises.
Induction: Generalizing from a set of observations.
Abduction: Guessing based on the most likely explanation.
Does you need to memorize and understand all these terms?
No, you don’t. However, they provide a conceptual framework through which you can recognize the different forms of knowledge and research processes and critically examine your own research or the research of others.
What you will do in this course
Core task
A proposal for your master’s thesis (if you are doing one or thinking of doing one) OR a mixed methods research proposal on an information management related topic of your choice (in groups of 3-5 people). The proposal includes the following sections:
- Abstract
- Introduction (draws from assignment #1)
- Literature review (draws from assignment #1)
- Methodology
- Methods (relates to assignment #2 and #3)
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Discussion
- Expected contributions
- Limitations
- Discussion of quality criteria of research
- Quantitative: internal validity, external validity, reliability, objectivity.
- Qualitative: credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability.
- References
- Appendices
Assignments
- Assignment #1. Introduction
- A statement of the research problem, purpose and questions (group, 10%).
- A review of the related literature (individual, 10%).
- Assignment #2. TCPS 2 CORE-2022 (a course on research ethics). (individual, 5%)
- Assignment #3. Application for Research Ethics Review (group, 20%).
- Assignment #4. Presentation (group, 10% + individual, 5%).
- Assignment #5. Proposal (group, 30%).
To-do for today
Mingle, think about potential topics, form groups.
All the groups should be formed before the class next week.