Modeling the Information-Seeking Patterns of Academic Researchers: A Grounded Theory Approach

The focus of this article is the employment of the grounded theory approach to derive models of the information-seeking patterns of academic researchers. The background to the development of interest in qualitative approaches to information studies in the United Kingdom is described, and the results of four studies, carried out at the University of Sheffield, into the information-seeking patterns of researchers in the social sciences, sciences, and humanities are outlined. The methodological issues involved in the employment of the grounded theory approach in the studies are discussed-with particular attention being given to the conceptual questions of analysis, comparison, and validity and to the practical issues of data recording, coding, and selection. Reference is also made to other studies carried out at the University of Sheffield that have employed the grounded theory approach.