How reference and information service is studied: Research approaches and methods

• 23.57% of the reference and information service (RIS) literature for 2000–2009 is empirical research.
• Most of the RIS research is quantitative; qualitative methods were fairly rare (12.15%).
• Descriptive methods, particularly survey questionnaires, were the most common.

There is a need for a robust research base for reference and information service (RIS), both for scholarship in the field and for effective decision-making in practice. While a number of studies have been conducted about the research of library and information science (LIS) in general, no analysis has been conducted on RIS research. Focusing specifically on research approach and methods, this study analyzes the journal literature for the decade 2000 to 2009. Of the 24% of papers that were research studies, most were quantitative descriptions of data. Qualitative approaches were rarely used. The results suggest that RIS is being studied from a limited perspective and could benefit from a greater diversity of approaches and methods.