Contents: Preface. 1. Basic concepts of research. 2. Philosophy and ethics of research. 3. Sampling methods. 4. Validity construction. 5. Reliability. 6. Survey research. 7. Scaling methods. 8. Qualitative research. 9. Types of research design. 10. Data analysis. 11. Bibliometrics. 12. Research reporting. 13. Trends in library and information science research. 14. Role of research library in digital age. Index.

"Library and information science is an active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry about library and information science in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviors, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws or theories. Library managers require research that has high internal validity for their particular library setting. These requirements are best met if research endeavours are underpinned by a careful consideration of the previous researches. By applying a rigorous research process a librarian can simultaneously address a local problem and contribute to the further development of the profession and its theory.

This book is designed to provide a general introduction to the concerns and skills of both the producer and the consumer of research in the field of library and information science. The main emphasis in the book is on quantitative research techniques, however there is an elaborated chapter which examines the qualitative approaches. It provides detailed coverage of statistical methods and exploratory techniques which will be helpful for students who have had no prior experience with research or statistics. It is hoped that educators, researchers, students of library and information science, besides working librarians and information service professionals will find this work highly useful." (jacket)