Mapping emerging research methodologies in Library and Information Science (2015–2023): A systematic review

The study aims to analyse the evolving trends in research methodologies and paradigms in Library and Information Science (LIS), using articles indexed in the ScienceDirect database from 2015 to 2023. Using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), this article analyses how LIS scholars apply three primary research methods, quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods, and situate their work within broader philosophical paradigms, including positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework was employed to guide the transparent reporting of the review process, not as a methodological tool. From an initial pool of over 210,000 articles, 47 met the inclusion criteria. The results highlighted researchers’ preferences for various research methods in LIS research. The analysis showed that 16 articles (34.04%) employed qualitative research, followed by 15 studies (31.91%) using mixed methods and 12 studies (25.53%) adopting quantitative approaches. In addition, the paradigmatic analysis revealed limited explicit engagement with critical theory (6.38%) and positivism (2.13%), indicating either under-articulation of paradigms or growing methodological pluralism in LIS. These findings reflect a dominant trend towards qualitative and integrative methodologies, with limited adoption of critical and positivist approaches in the reviewed literature. This study is limited to English language articles that include the key term ‘Library and Information Science’ focusing on three methods and three research paradigms: positivist, interpretive and critical theory. While some overlap exists between methodological and paradigmatic categories, the review identifies key trends and underexplored areas, offering valuable insights to inform future research design and methodological training in LIS.