Knowledge Retrieval and Semantic Systems

A Review of the Bibliographic Approach to Defining Theory

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Farideh Kaab Omeir 1
Gholamreza Heidari 2

1 Ph.D Student of Knowledge and Information Science Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Ahvaz. Iran

2 Associate Professor, Knowledge and Information Science Department, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/jks.2019.45048.1242
Abstract
Various definitions of theory are presented in the literature of the research method. This variety is visible in the keywords for which the definitions are used. In this paper, it was attempted to provide a rethinking of the theoretical definition of this variation.In this article, a revision of the bibliographic approach has been made using content analysis method. Existing definitions were extracted from the theory in the literature and calculated using the content analysis method of the definitions, the keywords, their synonyms, and the frequency of each.Content analysis of 125 definitions led to the identification of 9 main words and 67 synonymous words. The key words found in this content analysis are: concept, explanation, relationship, phenomenon, set, hypothesis, systematic, prediction, and method. This paper presents a revised definition of theory with a bibliographic and empirical approach and focuses on process descriptions, explanations, predictions, and controls in a process-level setting.Innovation: Using a bibliographic approach and content analysis approach provided a comprehensive and detailed view of the theory's definition.

Keywords

Theory
Explanation
Hypothesis
Relationship
Phenomenon
Kerlinger, F. (1973). Foundations of Behavioral Research. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Pettigrew, K. E., & McKechnie, L. (2001). The use of theory in information science research. Journal of the American society for information science and technology, 52(1), 62-73.‏
Zweizig, D. (1977). Measuring library use. Drexel Library Quarterly, 13, 2- 15.
Knowledge Retrieval and Semantic Systems
Volume 6, Issue 20
Autumn 2019
Pages 75-93

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