IS3330 Research Methods for Information Sciences

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of research design for research in the Information Sciences (IS) field. This overview consists of understanding the preliminary considerations that go into selecting a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research design. These include knowing the definition for these different approaches, considering philosophical worldviews, reviewing the literature, understanding the use of theory, anticipating ethical issues, and developing writing strategies. We will discuss the process of research as it relates to each approach in IS research. This process includes writing an introduction, specifying a purpose statement, and developing research questions and/or hypotheses. This course will focus on the methods and procedures for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies. In this course, the following objectives will be emphasized: I. Develop an understanding of the basic characteristics of qualitative and quantitative methods research and the differences among these approaches. 2. Be able to discuss the major philosophical worldviews related to research. 3. Define the major strategies of inquiry used in qualitative and quantitative methods research. 4. Learn how to search the research literature on a topic of interest. 5. Understand the role of literature and theory in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. 6. Develop writing strategies for qualitative and quantitative methods research proposals and reports. 7. Anticipate ethical issues related to research. 8. Understand the elements that comprise a good introduction to an IS research study. 9. Be able to write a purpose statement for qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research. 10. Develop research questions and or hypotheses for qualitative and quantitative methods research. 11. Understand the procedures involved in developing quantitative and qualitative methods research plans. Prerequisites: None

Lecture Hours

Lab Hours

Course Learning Outcomes

IS 3330: Research Methods in Information Sciences – learning objectives, learning outcomes.

Develop an understanding of the basic characteristics of qualitative and quantitative methods research and the differences among these approaches.
Students will be able to identify the differences between qualitative and quantitative epistemologies and methodologies.
Be able to discuss the major philosophical worldviews related to research.
Students will be able to apply their knowledge of epistemologies to their research designs for their theses and avoid making ambiguous knowledge claims.

Define the major strategies of inquiry used in qualitative and quantitative methods research.
Students will be able to apply strategies of inquiry to structure quantitative and qualitative research designs.

Learn how to search the research literature on a topic of interest.
Students will be able to perform literature reviews to identify gaps in prior research, identify controversies in prior research, develop support for research questions and hypotheses as well as use prior research to support operational definitions of variables and categories of observation.

Anticipate ethical issues related to research.
Students will be able to identify and avoid ethical problems in their research designs for their theses.

Be able to write a problem and purpose statement for qualitative, quantitative research designs for their theses.
Students will be able to write problem and purpose statements that reflect the specific intents they hope to accomplish in their thesis research.

Understand the procedures involved in developing quantitative and qualitative methods research plans.
Students will be able to develop the research procedures that they plan to follow in conducting their thesis research whether primary or secondary research.