"'We exhort you to read this book... It is the first book we have seen that invites LIS practitioner-researchers to tell the stories behind their research findings.' --from the Foreword by Kristine R. Brancolini and Marie R. Kennedy. A practitioner-researcher is an information professional who may not have formal training in using research methods and is learning how to use these methods during their busy, complex job. Reflections on Practitioner Research: A Practical Guide for Information Professionals can help information professionals build an understanding of the research process as applied to our field and address the challenges of undertaking research as a practitioner, as well offer support and advice for all stages of a research project, from writing the proposal to collecting the data to disseminating the findings. Twenty-five chapters from a blend of novice and experienced practitioner-researchers are divided into three thorough sections: * Section 1: Research Process. Grapples with various aspects of the overall research process, from topic selection to research design to time frame. How do you set a research agenda? What happens when your plans get derailed? How do you approach a topic that may be controversial?* Section 2: Research Methods. How information professionals use specific qualitative and quantitative research methods in their projects. * Section 3: Relationships. Investigates the ways in which relationships form and how they can impact the research process, and strategies that can help make your collaborative efforts successful rather than stressful. Reflections on Practitioner Research attempts to capture the actual experience of doing research and the lessons that can be gained from that experience. Projects and studies are not always as linear or without hiccups as the published literature may lead us to believe, and this book shows and celebrates the complexity of information professionals using a research design by picking up these skills along the way."--

Step-by-step guidance for using traditional research methods to help improve, validate, and ultimately advance the day-to-day work and purpose of libraries.

This established text is the only introduction to qualitative research methodologies in the field of library and information management. Its extensive coverage encompasses all aspects of qualitative research work from conception to completion, and all types of study in a variety of settings from multi-site projects to data organization. The book features many case studies and examples, and offers a comprehensive manual of practice designed for LIS professionals. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and includes three new chapters. It has been updated to take account of the substantial growth in the amount and quality of web-based information relevant to qualitative research methods and practice, and the many developments in software applications and resources. The authors have identified a clear need for a new chapter on the evaluation of existing research, as a gateway into new research for information professionals. The final chapter, 'Human Resources In Knowledge Management', takes the form of a model case study, and is an 'ideal' qualitative investigation in an information setting. It exemplifies many of the approaches to qualitative research discussed in earlier chapters. Readership: Directed primarily at the beginner researcher, this book also offers a practical refresher in this important area for the more experienced researcher. It is a useful tool for all practitioners and researchers in information organizations, whether libraries, archives, knowledge management centres, record management centres, or any other type of information service provider.

In the realm of health care, privacy protections are needed to preserve patients' dignity and prevent possible harms. Ten years ago, to address these concerns as well as set guidelines for ethical health research, Congress called for a set of federal standards now known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule. In its 2009 report, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information concludes that the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not protect privacy as well as it should, and that it impedes important health research.

Research institutions are under pressure to make their outputs more accessible in order to meet funding requirements and policy guidelines. Libraries have traditionally played an important role by exposing research output through a predominantly institution-based digital repository, with an emphasis on storing published works. New publishing paradigms are emerging that include research data, huge volumes of which are being generated globally. Repositories are the natural home for managing, storing and describing institutional research content. New Content in Digital Repositories explores the diversity of content types being stored in digital repositories with a focus on research data, creative works, and the interesting challenges they pose. Chapters in this title cover: new content types in repositories; developing and training repository teams; metadata schemas and standards for diverse resources; persistent identifiers for research data and authors; research data: the new gold; exposing and sharing repository content; selecting repository software; repository statistics and altmetrics. - Explores the role of repositories in the research lifecycle, and the emerging context for increasing non-text based content - Focuses on the management of research data in repositories and related issues such as metadata and persistent identifiers - Discusses skills and knowledge needed by repository staff to manage content diversity

"This book presents research from the perspective of the information technology professional and how they influence the modern organization"--Provided by publisher.

The goal of any research assessment is to evaluate the value or quality of the research in comparison to other research. As quality is highly subjective and difficult to measure, citations are used as a proxy. Citations are an important part of scholarly communication and a significant component of research evaluation, with the assumption being that highly cited work has influenced the work of many other researchers and hence it is more valuable. Recently we have seen new online data sources being researched for this purpose and disruptive ideas with the power to change research assessment, and perhaps even science as a whole, have been born. Altmetrics is the new research area that investigates the potential of these new data source as indicators of the impact that research has made on the scientific community and beyond, and thus possibly also as indicators of the societal impact of research. This book will present some of these new data sources, findings from earlier altmetrics research, and the disruptive ideas that may radically change scholarly communication. - Presents some of the key ideas and innovations in earlier research that have been driving the evolution from bibliometrics to webometrics, and with the advent of social media to altmetrics - Discusses the shortcomings and pitfalls of bibliometrics in research evaluation and the potential of altmetrics to overcome some of these shortcomings - Presents some of the most important data sources of altmetrics, the aggregators, and the different stakeholders - Reviews current research about altmetrics and discusses possible future trends - Presents a way to measure and aggregate altmetrics according to the level of impact or type of impact they represent