A systematic review of information practices research
ISSN: 0022-0418
Article publication date: 17 June 2022
Issue publication date: 10 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This systematic literature review aims to elaborate the research progress of information practices to help other researchers attain a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the field.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a systematic review protocol, 123 research articles from nine academic databases were included in the analysis.
Findings
Four separate results can be outlined. First, practice theory, social constructionist theory and activity theory are often used as the theoretical basis for the study of information practices. Second, people will engage in specific information practice activities in different external and internal contexts. The external contexts include social and needs contexts. The internal contexts include information source horizons, user's affection and user's cognition. Third, the existing information practice models can be divided into static and dynamic types. These models mainly reflected activities and influencing factors of information practices. Fourth, qualitative methods were the most used in information practice research.
Research limitations/implications
The field of information practices is a vast, expanding research field. This research will focus only on a specific section, namely concepts, activities, contexts and models. Researchers could contribute to exploring the concepts, components and mechanisms of information practices by combining theories from various disciplines, such as sociology and behavioral science.
Originality/value
This is the first study to reveal the general picture of information practices. It also elaborates the characteristics of people's information practices and shows the potential development direction for future research.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71904086).
Citation
Zhong, H., Han, Z. and Hansen, P. (2023), "A systematic review of information practices research", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 79 No. 1, pp. 245-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-02-2022-0044
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited