Examining the Role of Theories in Information Behavior Research

ematically identify the important
theories in information behavior research,
to assess their applications, and to evaluate
the strength and weakness. At the first
stage, the study clarifies the major
arguments in each theoretical model or
framework, and it relationships. At second
stage, the study explores the implications
of the findings for developing a taxonomy
of the theoretical frameworks in user
studies.
The research methods include
literature analysis, content analysis and
citation analysis. The potential
contributions include﹕1. A deeper
understanding of how theories in
information behavior research have been
developed. 2. Identifying important
theoretical frameworks and their
applications for user studies. 3. Developing
a taxonomy that reflects theoretical
frameworks of information behavior
research as a whole.