Thematic analysis in information science: The example of “literature obsolescence”

Abstract The concept of thematic analysis, as developed by Gerald Holton, Robert Merton, and others, is reviewed and characterized. The strengths and limitations of this concept are briefly discussed. The applicability of thematic analysis to information science is explored by means of examining four thematic models of change of state of knowledge, as exemplified by terms such as “literature obsolescence.” Articles from ten years of the Journal of the American Society for Information Science (volumes 16–27) were selected for examination. Several of these articles are shown to have thematic content and to exemplify the four models of change of state of knowledge. A concluding discussion assesses the implication of thematic analysis for information science and points out some unresolved problems of such analysis.