Rigour in phenomenological and phenomenography studies: A scoping review of library and information science research

Abstract

This scoping review investigates rigour from phenomenological and phenomenographic orientations and their appropriate fit into the discourses identified by researchers. The scoping review addresses the following central research question: Do phenomenological and phenomenographic studies in published library science research share the same criteria of rigour? Library and information science (LIS) multi-disciplinary bibliographic databases were searched. Basic keyword searching was conducted in databases and conference proceedings were hand-searched to ensure that no articles were missed because of indexing lags. The review found that there are 18 explicitly stated phenomenological orientations and six phenomenographic orientations across LIS. Specific frameworks were applied to each method while strategies from positivism were used interchangeably. There must be a balance between generalizability, reliability, and validity, rather than an over-reliance on one of these pillars. Furthermore, LIS researchers must familiarize themselves with different phenomenological and phenomenographic orientations to apply their methodologies appropriately.