Methods for examining small literatures: Explication, physical analysis, and citation patterns

Three methods-explication, physical analysis, and citation patterns-are used to dissect a small literature: the information overload research from library studies. Explication is an exercise in critical reading and the tri-level explication used here examines overt research structure, backward citation chaining, and within- text inquiry. Overt structure seeks standard research characteristics. Backward citation chaining follows the abstract cognitive train of thought and a within-text inquiry analyzes textual anatomy according to implicit cues: syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. Physical examination considers the text as artifact and inventories physical properties: publishing entity, co-authorship, literature age, or the amount of explanatory materials. Citation patterns follow bibliometric tenets and identify core researchers, co-authorship, linking citations, overall citing behavior, and the degree of peer- and self-citing. Cross-discipline comparisons arise from a similar analysis of the overload research from consumer science and psychology/psychiatry. Conclusions arise from the literature itself and result in simple evidentiary statements.