Many researchers in library and information science have claimed that studies that are holistic are critical to understanding various phenomena. On closer examination, however, the term “holistic” is used mainly as a rhetorical device in the literature, rather than as one that embraces the epistemological tenets of a holistic paradigm, and applies these to research design. This paper examines this rhetorical use, and explores what it would mean, and why it would matter, to adopt substantively holistic approaches to research. We review relevant literature in library and information science to position past uses of holistic and compare these to the conceptual intentions of holism. We also outline the concept of holism, itself, with a focus on methodological and ontological holism, which can most deeply inform research design in our discipline. Greater methodological diversity, including much wider adoption of interpretivist and critical approaches, can address the concerns underlying the use of holistic rhetoric. We illustrate this central conceptual argument with a roadmap illustrating holistic considerations throughout the research process. The paper demonstrates that it is possible to shift away from predominantly rhetorical use of holistic, toward paradigmatically holistic research, which will provide for richer analyses of critical phenomena in the discipline.

中文翻译：

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整体信息研究：从修辞到范式

图书馆和信息科学领域的许多研究人员声称，整体研究对于理解各种现象至关重要。然而，仔细研究后，“整体”一词在文献中主要用作修辞手段，而不是包含整体范式的认识论原则并将其应用于研究设计的术语。本文研究了这种修辞用法，并探讨了采用实质性的整体研究方法意味着什么，以及为什么重要。我们回顾了图书馆和信息科学中的相关文献，以定位过去对整体的使用，并将这些与整体主义的概念意图进行比较。我们还概述了整体主义的概念，本身，重点是方法论和本体论整体论，这可以最深入地为我们学科的研究设计提供信息。更大的方法多样性，包括更广泛地采用解释主义和批判性方法，可以解决使用整体修辞的潜在问题。我们用路线图说明了这一核心概念论点，说明了整个研究过程中的整体考虑。该文件表明，它可以从主要修辞运用上移开整体性，对整体paradigmatically研究，这将为在学科临界现象更丰富的分析。