LIS 668
Research Methods in Library and Information Science
Online, Spring 2010

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.
It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and that they dwell therein."
Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road (1942).

Instructor
Teresa Welsh, Ph.D., Associate Professor
The University of Southern Mississippi
School of Library & Information Science
Cook Library, Room 206H
Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 1:30-4:30pm or by appointment
Phone: 601.266.4228
Teresa.Welsh@usm.edu
http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w146169/

Description
This three hour course is a survey of scientific research methods and their application to the field of library and information science.

Prerequisite: LIS 501

Drop Dates
The last day that this course may be dropped with refund is February 1st.
The last day to drop full-term classes without academic penalty is March 3rd.

Required Text:

Practical Research Planning and Design, 9th ed.
by Paul D. Leedy and Jeannie Ellis Ormrod
Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2009.

Course Objectives
After completion of the course students should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of scientific research and its role in building a knowledge base in library and information science.

  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the responsibility of professionals to add to knowledge in the field through research.

  3. Discuss the history of research in librarianship and relate it to current trends and practices.

  4. Demonstrate knowledge about research methods applicable to library and information studies.

  5. Demonstrate an ability to use current technologies in research investigations.

  6. Demonstrate an ability to use current technologies as research topics to investigate the integration and impact of current technologies on library activities.

  7. Demonstrate an ability to analyze and evaluate published reports of research studies in library and information science.

  8. Demonstrate an ability to analyze and evaluate published reports of research studies in disciplines other than library and information science.

  9. Demonstrate an ability to compare published research in library and information science to the published research in other disciplines.

  10. Demonstrate an ability to identify and apply appropriate research methodology to specific problems in library and information science.

Teaching Strategies
Online lecture notes, directed readings, virtual classroom sessions, and discussion board postings will form the basis for the course. Students will be required to evaluate and compare published research in a library and information science journal and in a professional journal in a discipline other than library and information science. Students will be required to identify, describe and compare research methodologies appropriate to the profession and will be required to develop a research proposal employing one of the methodologies.

Weekly Schedule
Subject to Revision

Week 1
What is scholarly research?

Week 2
Research Tools

Week 3
The Research Problem

Week 4
Research Proposal: Introduction

Week 5
The Review of Related Literature

Week 6
Planning Research Design & Methodology

Week 7
Quantitative Methodologies

Week 8
Midterm Exam

Week 9
Spring Break!

Week 10
Qualitative Methodologies

Week 11
Writing the Research Proposal

Week 12
Evaluating Research Proposals

Week 13
Writing the Research Report

Week 14
Evaluating Research Reports

Week 15
Research Proposal

Week 16
Research Proposal

Course Requirements

  1. Survey of a professional journal
    • Editorial policy
    • Focus - intended audience
    • Format
    • Publisher
    • Special features

  2. Critical report of published research in a library and information science professional journal and of published research in a professional journal in a discipline other than library and information science. Compare the format, statistical treatment and quality of the two different research reports.

  3. Midterm Exam

  4. Development of a research proposal which will include the following:
    • Definition of a research topic
    • Identification of appropriate research methodology for the investigation of the defined topic
    • Review of related literature
    • Methodology for conducting the study
      • Procedures
      • Data gathering instrument
      • Research techniques
    • Bibliography
    • Appendices

  5. Class Participation
    • Students are expected to read the online lectures and required texts in order to participate in online discussions.
    • Students are expected to attend each virtual classroom session for the entire time of the session. All absences will be recorded. Points will be deducted from the final grade for missed chats in the virtual classroom or failure to post responses to questions on the Discussion Board.
    • Students are required to subscribe to listnews, the LIS listserv. Subscribe to lisnews by completing the online form available at http://www.usm.edu/slis/listservs.htm#lisnews

    Grading

    A95-100
    A-93-94
    B+91-92
    B86-90
    B-84-85
    C+82-83
    C75-81
    C-73-74
    D+71-72
    D66-70
    D-64-65
    F0-63
Course Policies

Students are responsible for reading syllabus content and becoming familiar with course policies and procedures.

Students will not be granted an Incomplete for this course for failing to complete assignments. A student who receives an Incomplete will have only ONE semester in which to complete the work, and will not be eligible to receive an A.

If a student stops attending class and does not complete the appropriate withdrawal papers or procedures with the registrar, that student will be assigned an F. If this is the only class a student is taking then the student must call the USM graduate school to properly withdraw.

If a student commits plagiarism, that student will receive an F in the course.

A student may not self-plagiarize or submit work done in another course unless receiving prior permission from the instructor. Any assignment that is self plagiarized without prior permission from the instructor will receive zero points.

Virtual classroom attendance and participation is expected. Participation is a large part of the grade and consists of the virtual classroom participation and discussion.

Students are required to subscribe to listnews, the LIS listserv. Subscribe to lisnews by completing the online form available at http://www.usm.edu/slis/listservs.htm#lisnews

All assignments should be saved in .doc or .rtf format and posted to the Digital Drop Box. Work not turned in on time will be assessed a penalty of 10% per week without prior approval from the instructor.

Failure to follow specific instructions for content and formatting of assignments will result in lower grades.

Writing skills: All work must be in standard English; inappropriate grammar, punctuation, and/or spelling will result in lower grades.

Academic Code of Conduct

Students are expected to follow the Academic Code of Conduct, which includes mutual respect and academic honesty.

"When cheating is discovered, the faculty member may give the student an F on the work involved or in the course. If further disciplinary action is deemed appropriate, the student should be reported to the dean of students. In addition to being a violation of academic honesty, cheating violates the Code of Student Conduct and may be grounds for probation, suspension, and/or expulsion. Students on disciplinary suspension may not enroll in any courses offered by The University of Southern Mississippi." USM Graduate Bulletin, p. 35.

"Plagiarism is scholarly theft, and it is defined as the unacknowledged use of secondary sources. More specifically, any written or oral presentation in which the writer or speaker does not distinguish clearly between original and borrowed material constitutes plagiarism. Because students, as scholars, must make frequent use of the concepts and facts developed by other scholars, plagiarism is not the mere use of another's facts and ideas. However, it is plagiarism when students present the work of other scholars as if it were their own work. Plagiarism is committed in a number of ways:

  1. Reproducing another author's writing as if it were one's own.
  2. Paraphrasing another author's work without citing the original.
  3. Borrowing from another author's ideas, even though those ideas are reworded, without giving credit.
  4. Copying another author's organization without giving credit.
Plagiarism is a serious offense. An act of plagiarism may lead to a failing grade on the paper and in the course, as well as sanctions that may be imposed by the student judicial system." USM Graduate Bulletin, p. 35.

Disability Statement

If a student has a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies. Mailing address: 118 College Drive, # 8586; Telephone: 601- 266-5024; TTY: 601-266-6837; FAX: 601-266-6035.


Note: This is an abbreviated version of the course syllabus. The complete syllabus is posted on the Blackboard LIS668 course site.

Web Page Design
Teresa S. Welsh
e-mail: teresa.welsh@usm.edu
Updated 10/14/2009