Applications of inferential statistical methods in library and information science

Amelioration of the perpetual difficulty students have upon encountering typical statistical methods introduced in a first statistics course, or combined into a research methodology course, is the objective of this effort. In addition, an evaluation of the proposed method is included. rom student comments and in class experience, it is clear that difficulties students face on encountering statistical methods to address research questions are both conceptual and computational. Many of the conceptual problems students face are due to the fragmented "menu -style" manner in which inferential statistical methods are introduced in texts. "A t-test is on page 37; an ANOVA is on page 102, and a multiple regression is on page 150." But, as illustrated (Kerlinger & Pedhazur, 1973 , Pedhazur, 1982; or Cohen & Cohen, 1975 , 1983 ) these techniques, and many more, are intimately tied through the general linear model. Some would argue that such an integrative approach is too advanced for the beginning student; if handled gently, we disagree. A general introduction to the theory of the GLM is not suggested for the beginning student, but a method that allows easy illustration of how these techniques are computationally the same has been found to reduce confusion considerably. The computational difficulty students face is usually due to the user interface of commercial software packages. Students find the new computer interface challengingsometimes bewildering --especially at first. But all students are comfortable with and have immediate access to Excel, so an Excel software package, "Criterion.xlsx," was written, used, and evaluated herein. This software also has the advantage of "flexible immediacy" to illustrate the linkages among methods. We also wanted control over what is displayed and how. Specifically, we took this opportunity to embed contextual guidance toward correct understanding of analyses within the pages of this software, so that what the student reads as "output" is accompanied with narrative guidance. We want to educate while students calculate. As well, all relevant output is automatically generated in "camera-ready" APA cut-andpaste tables. We also point out errors made in commercial packages offering the same output. Criterion is divided into various spreadsheet "tabs" that execute various desired analyses; each with extensive embedded annotations that are used to teach in context and to provide clarification regarding often encountered interpretive errors. Methods are available for univariate through multivariate analyses, and the software has been used very successfully in a second multivariate statistics course, but that is not the interest here. Only the parts most relevant to ANOVA and multiple regression will be illustrated here. 1 [Note that the Excel statistical "Analysis Toolpak" that has received some criticism in the literature (e.g., McCullough & Wilson, but see amelioration with more recent versions, Melard, 2014) is not usedall programming is original. Moreover, with a very large set of examples, an exact match with SPSS, SAS, or Systat is always obtained.] . Data Source Relevant analyses will be displayed in Figures here using two data sets. A multiple regression data set in which graduate GPA is predicted from GRE (Quantitative and Verbal), the Miller Analogies Test, and the Average Rating of faculty (Kerlinger & Pedhazur, 1973, p. 292), and a group contrast ANOVA data set regarding the relationship of Religion to Attitude Toward Abortion (Cohen & Cohen, 1983, p. 185). The following will detail the use of the spreadsheet to analyze these data. To render the analysis, one only needs to enter the 1) N, 2) p (the number of variables), 3) α (we believe it is important for students to make a choice), 4) variable names, and 5) data (with the Criterion first in

Altmetrics indicators are useful for assessing the impact of research and have been increasingly used alongside traditional citations in recent years. Mendeley provides readership statistics which give an early indicator of the impact of research outputs. This study aimed to investigate how Mendeley early readership indicator was associated with later citations across nine selected library and information science (LIS) journals. This study examined bibliographic data of 9 LIS journals extracted from the Scopus database over a 17 months period from June 2019 to November 2020. Data were extracted using Webometric Analyst. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to characterize the relationship between these two variables. The number of readers per paper, and of each journal are described using mean, standard deviation, frequency, and geometric mean. Readership growth was increased in all selected journals, but citation growth was unstable in most of the journals. Early readership statistics positively correlated with early citation analysis in all journals except the Journal of Educational Media and Library Science, which had a weaker positive correlation. The correlation between early readership and later citation numbers varied, with some journals being moderately positive and some weakly positive.

Contemporary society is an information society with highly developed information. Its network and digital characteristics are bringing tremendous changes to the whole society. China's library and information science is no exception, and its research content is also expanding. It is a core journal that can reflect the actual situation of research in the subject area and conduct academic exchange as an authoritative representative of a certain subject area. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to conduct comprehensive research based on the development history of library and information science, quantitative and qualitative analysis of academic journal articles, research related topics and keywords, not only to further understand library and information science, but also to accumulate knowledge of library and information science, and also through scientific development trend, based on the experience summarized by the predecessors, allows us to more fully recognize the important role of library science and information science, and to improve the theoretical literacy and research level of relevant researchers. At this stage, it is even more necessary for researchers to look at and study library and information science with a developmental perspective. Based on this, the article mainly analyzes the research significance of library and information science, and analyzes the output of China's library and information science journals. It uses Ucinet software to visualize the main research hotspots, and finally analyzes the dynamic factors affecting the research of library and information science in China in order to provide a reference.

Descriptive and inferential statistical methods used in burns research

Some Thoughts About Data Type, Distribution, and Statistical Significance

"Perceptions of Library Use on Thesis Writing Motivation of Library and Information Science Students at Padang State University." Thesis. Library and Information Science Study Program, Department of Information and Library Science, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Padang State University. This research was motivated by the lack of motivation to use the library in looking for reading materials for thesis writing within the Padang State University environment. Most students look for references more from the internet such as Google Scholar and the UNP digital library than from the library, resulting in fewer library visits at the Faculty of Languages and Arts. This research aims to describe the perception of library use on the motivation for writing a thesis for Library and Information Science students at Padang State University. This research is quantitative research. The population in this study was 97 people and the sample for this study was 50 Library and Information Science students at Padang State University using a simple random sampling technique using the Slovin formula. The analysis of this research uses the T test. The results of this research show (1) Perception of library utilization of Padang State University Library and Information Science students in the Good category (2) Padang State University Library and Information Science student's thesis writing motivation in the Good category (3) Library utilization has a significant effect on student thesis writing motivation Padang State University library and information science.

Introduction. Research on celiac disease is based on a descriptive and inferential variety of techniques that allow summarizing data and extrapolating the target population. The aim of this study was to identify descriptive and inferential statistical methods used in International Journal of Celiac Disease. Material and method. The sample of this study was defined based on all original articles published in the journal mentioned above in 2013- 2014 period. We evaluated the descriptive statistics, the number and type of inferential statistical methods used. Results. Of the eight articles analyzed, one study was a randomzat clinical trial, the remaining studies were cross- sectional studies. The articles have used both quantitative and qualitative data. The indicator of central tendency on data was mean (n = 5, 62.5 %) or the median with interquartile range (n = 1, 12.5 %) and the dispersion of data was estimatedonly by the standard deviation in 5 studies (62.5 %). Quantitative data were used in raw form, except for one study using Z scores. Qualitative data were summarized using absolute and relative frequencies (n = 7, 87.5 %). The statistical software was mentioned in all studies. All articles except one used the inferential statistical methods or statistical tests. Most articles (87.5 %) used common tests as Student's t- test (37.5), analysis of variance/covariance (25 %), Kruskal -Wallis test (12.5 %), χ2 test (50 %), and Fisher's exact test (12.5 %). A specified significance level was noted in 62.5 % of the articles and the significance level was estimated in 6 studies (75 %). Conclusion. Results showed that a proper understanding of standard statistical methods leads to a proper interpretation of clinical research hypothesis. If necessary, the advanced statistical analysis should be performed by a multidisciplinary collaboration with specialists in biostatistics or epidemiology.

Ten years after the Medical Library Association (MLA) adopted its first research policy, the 1995 Using Scientific Evidence to Improve Information Practice [1], MLA President Joanne Gard Marshall, FMLA, appointed a task force to research and publish a new official statement [2]. The resulting MLA research policy statement, The Research Imperative, was approved by the MLA Board of Directors in 2007 and “challenges MLA members to build a supportive culture that values and contributes to a research base that is recognized as an essential tool for future practice” [2]. It describes domains of research as well as basic, advanced, and specialized research skills sets. The Research Imperative encourages health sciences library and information science (LIS) practitioners to take advantage of different educational opportunities to acquire and build on that skills set. Specifically, it recommends, “4. MLA will provide and promote education and training to support health sciences information research. To accomplish this recommendation, MLA will work with academic programs to ensure that opportunities to develop quantitative and qualitative research knowledge and skills appear throughout the curriculum, provide a complete range of basic and advanced courses in quantitative and qualitative research methodology through MLA's continuing education (CE) program, and encourage graduate LIS schools to require master's degree students to undertake a research project in information science” [3]. Curricular decisions for programs leading to the LIS master's degree (MLIS) are shaped by many factors, not the least of which is the very wide variety of careers that holders of such degrees can expect to have. Many will undoubtedly work in school, public, academic, or special libraries. Many others will be information professionals in archives, museums, corporations, and other organizations. In any case, a major driver for MLIS curricula is program accreditation by the American Library Association (ALA). The ALA Standards for Accreditation do not specify exactly what courses should be taught, but the accreditation seeks evidence of various curricular elements. In particular, the standards require that a program's mission, goals, and objectives include: “the importance of research to the advancement of the field's knowledge base…the importance of the contributions of library and information studies to other fields of knowledge [and]…the importance of the contributions of other fields of knowledge to library and information studies.” Furthermore, they seek evidence that the curriculum of an accredited program “emphasizes the evolving body of knowledge that reflects the findings of basic and applied research from relevant fields” [4]. Do MLIS academic programs “ensure…opportunities to develop quantitative and qualitative research knowledge and skills?” Do they “require master's degree students to undertake a research project in information science” [3]? Evidence of such opportunities would include (but not be limited to) courses and evidence of whether research projects are required for graduation from such programs. In a comparison of LIS research course requirements with those of other master's level programs in related disciplines, Park studied the 2002 graduate catalogs of fifty-two of the then fifty-six ALA-accredited MLIS programs as well as the catalogs of master's of business administration, master's of social work, and master's of education programs at some of those schools. She found that all but three of the MLIS programs offered research methods courses, but only twenty required such a course for graduation [5]. Park reported that “LIS does not use consistent terminology across schools to identify what constitutes a ‘research methods’ course” and that the courses “vary from comprehensive coverage of both quantitative and qualitative methods to superficial inclusion of simple survey methods.” Park discussed aspects of the MLIS degree that related to research “at the consumer level” and “at the contributor level” [5]. Evidence-based LIS (and other types of evidence-based practice) are examples of the use of the consumer level of research expertise. Practitioners in many fields can confuse the two functions, especially when the word “research” is taken to include searching literature for published scientific studies, as opposed to actually carrying out such studies. The Research Imperative quite rightly calls for health sciences librarians to practice as consumers of and contributors to research in the discipline. This study seeks evidence of the current availability of required or elective research methods courses and research projects as a graduation requirement in ALA-accredited masters' programs in library and information science.

A Review of:
 Cirasella, J., & Bowdoin, S. (2013). Just roll with it? Rolling volumes vs. discrete issues in open access library and information science journals. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 1(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1086
 
 Abstract 
 
 Objective – To understand the prevalence of, motivations for, and satisfaction with using a rolling-volume publishing model, as opposed to publishing discrete issues, across open access academic journals in library and information science.
 
 Design – A 12 question survey questionnaire.
 
 Setting – English-language, open access library and information science (LIS) journals published in the United States of America.
 
 Subjects – A total of 21 open access LIS journals identified via the Directory of Open Access Journals that were actively publishing, and that also met the authors’ standard of scholarliness, which they established by identifying a journal’s peer-review process or other evidence of rigorous review. Based on responses, 12 journals published using discrete issues, while 9 published as rolling volumes or as rolling volumes with some discrete issues.
 
 Methods – In late 2011, the study’s authors invited lead editors or primary journal contacts to complete the survey. Survey participants were asked to identify whether their journal published in discrete issues, rolling volumes, or rolling volumes with occasional discrete issues, with the latter two categories combined as one for ease of results analysis. Survey logic split respondents into two groups, either discrete-issue or rolling-volume. Respondents in both categories were posed similar sets of questions, with the key difference being that the questions directed at each category accounted for the publication model the journals themselves identified as using. Editors from both groups were asked about the reasons for using the publication model they identified for their journal: within the survey tool, authors provided 16 potential reasons for using a discrete-issue model, and 13 potential reasons for using a rolling-volume model. Respondents from both groups were asked to mark all reasons that applied for their respective journals. The survey also included questions about whether the journal had ever used the alternate publishing model, the editor’s satisfaction with their current model, and the likelihood of the journal switching to the alternate publishing model in the foreseeable future. 
 
 Main Results – The authors collected complete responses from 21 of the original 29 journals invited to participate in the study, a response rate of 72%. For the 12 journals that identified as using discrete issues, ease of production workflow (91.7%), clear production deadlines (75.0%), and journal publicity and promotion (75.0%) were the three most common reasons for using a discrete-issue model. For the nine journals using rolling volumes, improved production workflow (77.8%), decreased dependence on production deadlines (77.8%), and increased speed of research dissemination (66.7%) were the three most common reasons cited for using a rolling-volume model. 
 
 Findings show that overall satisfaction with a journal’s particular publication model was a common factor regardless of publishing model in use, though only the rolling-volume editors unanimously reported being very satisfied with their model. This high satisfaction rate is reflected in editors’ positions that they were very unlikely to switch away from the rolling-volume method. While a majority of editors of discrete-issue journals also reported being very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their current model, the mixed responses to whether they would contemplate switching to the alternate model suggests that awareness of the benefits of rolling-volume publishing is increasing. 
 
 Conclusion – Researchers discovered a greater incidence of rolling-volume model journals with open access LIS journals than anticipated, suggesting that this is an area where additional research is necessary. The relative newness of the rolling-volume model may be a contributing factor to the high satisfaction rate among editors of journals using this model, as journal editors are likely to be more deliberate in selecting this model over the traditional discrete-issue publishing model. Workflow and production practices were identified as key characteristics for selecting a publishing model regardless of the model selected, and therefore this is another area in need of further investigation.

هدف:هدف این پژوهش تعیین پوشش موضوعی عناوین اولویت های پژوهشی، رشته کتابداری و اطلاع‌رسانی می‌باشد. روش: این پژوهش از نوع توصیفی به روش تحلیل محتوا می باشد.جامعه مورد مطالعه در این پژوهش شامل 364 عنوان اولویت پژوهشی گردآوری‌شده از سایت های سازمان های مختلف می باشد.ابزار گردآوری داده ها در این پژوهش فهرست کنترل بوده و تجزیه و تحلیل داده ها با استفاده از نرم افزار اکسل انجام شده است. یافته ها: یافته ها نشان دادند که موضوعات کتابداری و بازیابی در موضوعات اولویت های پژوهشی بیشتر، ولی موضوعات تکنولوژی اطلاعات، کتابسنجی، منابع چاپی و الکترونیکی، مدیریت اطلاعات، رده‌بندی، ارتباطات علمی و نشر الکترونیک کمتر بررسی‌شده‌اند.این مقاله نتیجه گیری می‌کند که اولویت های پژوهشی در رشته علم اطلاعات و دانش‌شناسی از پوشش موضوعی متنوعی برخوردارمی باشند.

Knjižnica is the main librarianship professional journal in Slovenia and it is also indexed in LISA. Different bibliometrical studies were performed (first as early as 1984) with Knjiznica as the subject of survey. The aim was to gather better information about the journal, highlighting the positive trends and possible weaknesses. Although Knjižnica is a local journal, defined by the fact, that its articles are in Slovenian and themes mirror the achievements and goals of librarianship in Slovenia, it is not iso¬lated from the trends in international librarianship. This can be seen by the citations in the articles to the international library and information science journals. The main goal of the survey, was to measure this influence by counting the citations to international, foreign journals in the articles published in Knjižnica in the period 1991-1998. The second goal was to establish the core collection of the professional journals in library and information science and check their presence in the Slovenian libraries. The survey has produced the database of cited journals. With the sole exception of IFLA Journal, all the most cited journals are not traditional library journals, but tend to be more information science based. They are also part of the journal collection in all major libraries in Slovenia.

PurposeThis study aims to showcase the effect of gender in the field of library and information science.Design/methodology/approachResearch and review articles published from 2005 through 2014 inThe Electronic Library, a prominent journal in the field of Library and Information Science, were examined from the perspective of authors’ gender. Influence of gender was assessed with respect to at individual and collaborative levels, quality in terms of citedness and citation count, and receipt of research grants.FindingsThere has been an increase in the proportion of male authors over the years with a resulting decline in female authors. Male authors are more productive as teachers, while females contribute more as working professionals or while they peruse their academic/research programmes. Though the productivity in collaborative works has increased in all gender combinations, it is more prominent when authors of opposite gender team up. No significant difference is observed in the number of national or international works produced in different collaborative authorship patterns. There is no difference in the number of male and female authors in male–female collaborative works. Works sponsored by grants are produced more frequently in groups comprising male–female or male–male members. No significant difference is observed in the number of cited or uncited works produced in different authorship patterns. The number of citations to works is independent of the nature of gender-wise authorship patterns.Research limitations/implicationsThe study examines the status of women in research, specifically in the field of library and information science. The findings of the study are based on the contribution of the authors involved with the journal, “The Electronic Library”. Readers are encouraged to expand the study by including authors that contribute to other library and information science journals.Originality/valueThe study is first of its kind to highlight the involvement and observe the influence of female authors in the field of library and information science research.

Foundations and methods for Knowledge Organization in European iSchools courses

This paper presents a bibliometric study of library-focused journals represented in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). A total of 151 library and information science journals were examined related to a number of issues: subject-specific distribution of library journals, interdisciplinary aspects, country of origin, language-used and other language characteristics, numbers of titles first appearing in given years, publication fees, the existence of license agreements, and the types of organizations having journals in the Directory that focus on libraries or librarianship.

A study of Thomson‐Scientific ISI ranked Library and Information Science (LIS) journals (n = 52) is reported. The study examined the stances of publishers as expressed in the Copyright Transfer Agreements (CTAs) of the journals toward self‐archiving, the practice of depositing digital copies of one's works in an Open Archives Initiative (OAI)‐compliant open access repository. Sixty‐two percent (32) do not make their CTAs available on the open Web; 38% (20) do. Of the 38% that do make CTAs available, two are open access journals. Of the 62% that do not have a publicly available CTA, 40% are silent about self‐archiving. Even among the 20 journal CTAs publicly available there is a high level of ambiguity. Closer examination augmented by publisher policy documents on copyright, self‐archiving, and instructions to authors reveals that only five, 10% of the ISI‐ranked LIS journals in the study, actually prohibit self‐archiving by publisher rule. Copyright is a moving target, but publishers appear to be acknowledging that copyright and open access can co‐exist in scholarly journal publishing. The ambivalence of LIS journal publishers provides unique opportunities to members of the community. Authors can self‐archive in open access archives. A society‐led, global scholarly communication consortium can engage in the strategic building of the LIS information commons. Aggregating OAI‐compliant archives and developing disciplinary‐specific library services for an LIS commons has the potential to increase the field's research impact and visibility. It may also ameliorate its own scholarly communication and publishing systems and serve as a model for others.