Developing a Theory in Academic Research: A Review of Experts’ Advice

Q3 Social Sciences

Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice Pub Date : 2015-09-30 DOI:10.1633/JISTAP.2015.3.3.4

Jacob Dankasa

引用次数: 2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite the number of developed theories, it still remains a difficult task for some established and emerging schol-ars in various academic fields to clearly articulate new theories from research studies. This paper reviews and col-lates the views of scholars on what a theory is and how a good theory can be developed. It explains the concept of a theory, and the different components that make up a theory. The paper discusses the different processes of theory development by emphasizing what theory is and what theory is not. This review found that scholars differ in their definition of a theory, which leads to using terms such as model, paradigm, framework, and theory inter-changeably. It found the lack of theoretical constructs in a study to be one of the factors which explains why arti-cles are rejected for publication. This paper may be of benefit to established researchers who may be struggling with theory development, and especially younger academics who are the future of scholarship in various academ-ic fields, particularly in information science.

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学术研究理论的发展:专家建议述评

尽管有许多成熟的理论，但对于各个学术领域的一些知名和新兴学者来说，从研究中清晰地表达新理论仍然是一项艰巨的任务。本文回顾和整理了学者们对什么是理论以及如何发展一个好的理论的观点。它解释了理论的概念，以及构成理论的不同组成部分。本文通过强调什么是理论和什么不是理论来讨论理论发展的不同过程。研究发现，学者们对理论的定义存在差异，导致模型、范式、框架和理论等术语互换使用。它发现，研究中缺乏理论结构是解释文章被拒绝发表的因素之一。这篇论文可能对那些在理论发展方面苦苦挣扎的知名研究人员，特别是在各个学术领域，特别是在信息科学领域，成为学术未来的年轻学者有益。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice Social Sciences-Library and Information Sciences

CiteScore

1.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice (JISTaP) is an international journal that aims at publishing original studies, review papers and brief communications on information science theory and practice. The journal provides an international forum for practical as well as theoretical research in the interdisciplinary areas of information science, such as information processing and management, knowledge organization, scholarly communication and bibliometrics. To foster scholarly communication among researchers and practitioners of library and information science around the globe, JISTaP offers a no-fee open access publishing venue where a team of dedicated editors, reviewers and staff members volunteer their services to ensure rapid dissemination and communication of scholarly works that make significant contributions. In a modern society, where information production and consumption grow at an astronomical rate, the science of information management, organization, and analysis is invaluable in effective utilization of information. The key objective of the journal is to foster research that can contribute to advancements and innovations in the theory and practice of information and library science so as to promote timely application of the findings from scientific investigations to everyday life. Recognizing the importance of the global perspective with understanding of region-specific issues, JISTaP encourages submissions of manuscripts that discuss global implications of regional findings as well as regional implications of global findings.