title: Evaluation: theoretical underpinnings and web resources.
abstract: Librarians may benefit from understanding research theory more fully, looking at the services they offer as a program, and using program evaluation to understand the program value more completely. The process of program evaluation is research, and, as such, it should be situated within theory. This article reviews two of the basic theoretical concepts of research: ontology and epistemology. These concepts work together to help craft the research questions, and the questions drive the selection of methodology. The article also provides a list of web resources useful for understanding research theory in evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Edward G. Miner Library, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. donna_berryman@URMC.Rochester.edu
authors.forename: Donna R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Berryman
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D019359:Knowledge; D016245:Librarians; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013850:Thinking