Library and Information Science Commons^™

The Dilemma Of Survey Nonresponse, Jacquelyn Burkell

FIMS Publications

An examination of the library and information science (LIS) literature reveals that surveys published between 1996 and 2001 in three major LIS journals have an average response rate of 63%, and almost three quarters of the surveys have a response rate below 75% (the level that is widely held to be required for generalizability). Consistent with the practice in other disciplines, however, most LIS researchers do not address the issue of nonresponse beyond reporting the survey response rate. This article describes a strategy that LIS researchers can use to deal with the problem of nonresponse. As a first step, they …