Qualitative Research for the Information Professional: A Practical Handbook (2nd ed.)

Citation

Heaford, S. (2006), "Qualitative Research for the Information Professional: A Practical Handbook (2nd ed.)", Performance Measurement and Metrics, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 54-55. https://doi.org/10.1108/14678040610654864

Gorman and Clayton's handbook Qualitative Research for the Information Professional was first published in 1997. The 2005 edition shows little change to the main body, it has some updated references and the inclusion of newer readings including online sources, however it does includes two new chapters. The intended audience for this book is described as researchers and practitioners (either novice or experienced) in information organisations of all types such as libraries, archives, knowledge management centres or records management centres. The book is described as a “how‐to‐do‐it” handbook, which is in favour of theoretical knowledge, and attempts to provide practical information on conducting qualitative investigations in information organisations. Moving the information professional past the traditional quantitative research route, the authors promote the “flexibility” of the qualitative approach when applied to tackling complex organisational and social phenomena, in light of the increasing pressure under which information professionals find themselves, to deliver goods and services efficiently. In the preface the authors advise that the tone of the book is “formative and informative, but not self‐important or without a sense of the absurd” as they aim to persuade readers that despite any preconceptions of qualitative research, they intend to:

… show information professionals that research is something that is inherent in our work that it can be done in a spirit of simplicity and modesty, and that it can make a significant difference to how well we provide that service that is the essence of the information professions.

In an attempt to “show by example” the authors include focus questions and information‐specific research scenarios in each chapter.

The changes made to the 2005 version include the addition of two new chapters and some minor changes within existing chapters. Revision has also been made to chapters by Dr Sydney J. Shep and Adela Clayton. The book consists of 14 separate chapters and is advertised as a “comprehensive manual of practice for LIS professionals”. Chapter headings include: The nature of qualitative research; Evaluating qualitative research (a new addition in 2005); Qualitative research design in information organisations; Case studies in information organisations; Laying the foundations for fieldwork; Beginning fieldwork; Observation; Interviewing; Group discussion techniques; Historical investigation; Recording fieldwork data; Analysing qualitative data from information organisations; Writing qualitative research reports; Human resources in knowledge management: a case study (new addition in 2005) and a final chapter, Select bibliography. Each chapter is approximately 20 pages or less in length and each follows the same format by ending with “review of the chapter”, a “where to now?” section, “further reading” (new addition in 2005) and a “notes” section.

Practical experience has demonstrated the value of this book in that it was consulted extensively by the author of this review during the recent completion of a Masters Degree in Social Research and proved invaluable in providing the base line information for writing on research methods. Much of the information provided in the first chapter “The nature of qualitative research” became the basis for discussions regarding the research tools; the section on “the value of mixed methods” was particularly important in justifying the use of both qualitative and quantitative research tools. Although the authors stress they lean towards the “how to” element of research in the book, there was significant and sufficient theoretical discussion. Whilst this book does not focus heavily on evaluation per se, its role is discussed in one of the new chapters “Evaluating qualitative research”. The authors explain why it is important to the information professional to be able to evaluate the quality of existing qualitative research reports and they provide a useful and comprehensive list of criteria for this purpose. Positioning this chapter early in the book, rather than at a later stage as one might expect, reinforces the message that critical evaluation is an important element within research and should be considered at the outset of a project. A solid understanding would reduce mistakes made through reliance on flawed research findings published by others, or would ensure that empirical research the information professional conducted would not be built upon weak foundations. It is also a handy checklist for conducting your own research. The second chapter regarding evaluation proved very useful in the discussions on the “reliability” and “validity” of data gathered and the “ethical considerations” which needed addressing, in that it provided the transparency needed for evaluation of the project.

Without going through the contents of each chapter it is safe to say that this book can take the reader from conception to completion of a qualitative research project and if the information and guidance is followed it will yield a robust piece of work.

This is an excellent practical handbook for information professionals due to the overarching “qualitative research is not as difficult as you may think” theme and the inclusion of “real‐life” scenarios with a focus on the library field, and as an information resource for researchers needing the theoretical underpinning of qualitative methodologies. Those gaining most from this book and its contents will perhaps have developed past the first stages of understanding the concepts behind research in that quite complex language and/or terminology can be found within the text amongst the easygoing discourse as practical “how to” information and more complex theoretical foundations are explained.