The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to information science:
Information science – interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. Practitioners within the field study the application and usage of knowledge in organizations, along with the interaction between people, organizations and any existing information systems, with the aim of creating, replacing, improving or understanding information systems.
Information science can be described as all of the following:
An academic discipline –A branch of science –An applied science –Information technologyInformaticsClassificationBibliometricsPreservationCultural studiesCategorizationData modelingMemoryComputer storageIntellectual propertyIntellectual freedomPrivacyCensorshipAs an interdisciplinary field, information science draws upon and incorporates concepts and methodologies from:
Archival scienceCognitive scienceCommerceCommunicationsComputer scienceLawLibrary scienceMuseologyManagementMathematicsPhilosophyPublic policySocial sciencesHistory of information scienceDocumentation science – predecessor of information science.Fathers of information sciencePaul OtletHenri La FontaineInformation historyInternational Federation for Information and DocumentationHistory of information representation and retrievalHas undergone four phases of development- Increased Demand (1940s–early 1950s) (Information explosion)
- Rapid Growth (1950s–1980s) (the emergence of computers and systems such as Dialog (online database))
- Demystification Phase (1980s–1990s) (systems developed for end-user searching)
- The Networked Era (1990s–Present) (search enginees such as AltaVista and Google)
Archival research – facts or factual evidences from a variety of records are compiled.Computational complexity and structure – algorithmic and graphic methods are used to explore the complexity of information systems, retrieval and storage.Content analysis – studies how people communicate by analyzing the contents of books and mass media as well as the messages people talk or write about.Case study – specific set of circumstances or a group (the 'case') is analyzed according to a specific goal of study. Generally, case studies are used to characterize a trend or development; they have weak generalizability.Discourse analysis – analyzing written, oral, and sign language useHistorical method – involves a continuous and systematic search for the information and knowledge about past events related to the life of a person, a group, society, or the world.Interviews – researchers obtain data by interviewing people. If the interview is non-structured, the researcher leaves it to the interviewee (also referred to as the respondent or the informant) to guide the conversation.Life history – study of the personal life of a person. Through a series of interviews, the researcher can probe into the decisive moments in their life or the various influences on their life.Longitudinal study – extensive examination of a specific group over a long period of time.Observation – using data from the senses, one records information about a social phenomenon or behavior. Qualitative research relies heavily on observation, although it is in a highly disciplined form.Participant observation – involves researchers going into the field (usually a community), living with the people for some time, and participating in their activities in order to know and feel their culture.Academic publishing (including peer review and open access)BibliometricsData modelingDocument management and Document EngineeringGroupwareHuman-computer interaction (HCI)Information accessInformation architectureInformation ethicsInformation literacyInformation managementInformation retrieval (IR)Information seekingInformation seeking behaviorBrowsingInformation societyInformation systemsIntellectual property (IP)Knowledge engineeringKnowledge managementKnowledge transferKnowledge organizationMemory institutionsOntologyPersonal information management (PIM)Philosophy of informationScholarly communicationScientific communicationScience and technology studiesSemantic WebUsability engineeringHuman factorsUser-centered designDesign philosophyThere are many fields which claim to be "sciences" or "disciplines" which are difficult to distinguish from each other and from information science. Some of them are:
Archival scienceCommunication studiesComputer scienceDocumentation scienceInformaticsInformation managementInformation systems researchInformation literacyInforming scienceInternet studiesKnowledge managementLibrary scienceMedia studiesRecords managementScientometricsAmerican Society for Information Science and TechnologyAssociation of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM), related group based in the UKNational Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS)Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)Information schoolList of Information SchoolsClaude E. Shannon AwardIEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems AwardIEEE Richard W. Hamming MedalJ.W. Graham MedalO'Moore MedalTim Berners-LeeJohn Shaw BillingsGeorge BooleSuzanne BrietMichael BucklandVannevar BushMelville DeweyLuciano FloridiHenri La FontaineEugene GarfieldFrederick KilgourFrederick Wilfrid LancasterGottfried LeibnizAlexander Ivanovich MikhailovS. R. RanganathanSeymour LubetzkyWilhelm OstwaldPaul OtletGerald SaltonJesse SheraWarren Weaver