










































METHODS MOMENT 
 

 

 

Hypothesis 
Vol. 32 No.1  

Fall/Winter 2020 

Introducing Methods Moment 
 
Nina Exner, PhD, MLS 
Assistant Professor / Research Data Librarian 
Virginia Commonwealth University 
Richmond, VA 
 

A new column is being introduced to Hypothesis, called Methods Moment. As the 
name suggests, the column will focus on brief discussions of methodological topics for 
librarians who are doing, or wish to do, their own research. Librarians typically do not 
delve deeply into research class in library school or hear research concepts sprinkled 
throughout their library school courses. Nevertheless, librarians often want or need to 
do research! Regrettably, much of the methods literature is not geared towards 
practitioner-researchers who want to start or expand their research career. To support 
librarians new to research or expanding their interests, Methods Moment wants to 
introduce various methods for librarians to explore and apply. 

Methods Moment aims to give short, practical introductions to various methods of 
use to medical librarians. Our goal is to help librarians to familiarize themselves with 
various methods, and to think about which methods will or won’t work for answering 
their own research questions. Each column should serve the goal of increasing the 
breadth of methodological concepts that readers are familiar with.  

Submissions to the column are subject to blind peer review. If prospective 
authors would like advice on developing an idea into a column, column editor Nina 
Exner, nexner@vcu.edu, will give guidance and feedback to authors about style and 
scope-fit. The Hypothesis journal editor(s) have final discretion over the acceptability of 
any column submitted.  
 
COLUMN FORMAT 

Methods Moment columns should be 1,250-2,000 words per column. They 
should be written in a casual, practical style.  A given column will not aim to be 
comprehensive of a topic; instead, it should give enough detail to familiarize the reader 
with the topic, help them imagine the topic’s practical application in health librarian 
research, and lead interested readers to explore further.  

The structured abstract serves as a place for librarians to determine whether a given 
method is relevant to them at all. It covers: 

 
• Objective: What is this method intended to do or discover? 
• Approach: How does the method work? What describes the unique features or 

technique of this method? 
• Data type(s) used: What data goes into this method? Is it interviews, health 

records, national surveys, big data, etc.? 

mailto:nexner@vcu.edu


METHODS MOMENT 
 

 

 

Hypothesis 
Vol. 32 No.1  

Fall/Winter 2020 

• Strengths: What is uniquely good about this method? 
• Limitations: What are common limits or issues to be aware of when using this 

method? 
 

Each Methods Moment column is intended to provide (1) an overview of the topic; 
(2) a practical example or illustrative mini-case; and (3) resources for further 
exploration.    

 
• Overview: The overview should include a short definition or description of the 

method or topic. It will then explain the method or topic, its purpose or role in 
producing research findings, and why it might be of interest to health science 
librarians in their research. The overview should stand on its own for readers who 
are curious but do not want to explore further. 

• Example: The example section should illustrate how the method or topic plays 
out during research in practice. The example might be a narrative description of 
the topic in action, a personal experience of application, or a mock case study 
describing an imaginary scenario of when and how the topic would be applied. 

• Resources: The resources section should point readers to places for further 
exploration and self-guided learning. This should be a curated list of materials for 
interested learners. Wherever possible, if learning materials exist, they should be 
pointed to in the resources rather than trying to include instructional content in 
the overview. Most of the resources should be freely accessible, rather than 
subscription resources with limited availability. 
 

However, alternative formats may be considered! Good alternative formats could 
include compare-and-contrast between two related methods, brief reports of methods 
focusing on ideas for self-guided exploration, or summaries of discussion events among 
librarians who use a certain method. Creative approaches to addressing the needs of 
practitioners new to research are encouraged. 


