Clarivate Analytics Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Scholarship
Congratulations to the winner of the ASIS&T Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Scholarship, Leslie Thomson from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Her dissertation, “Investigating Information Creating and Informal Information Providing: A Grounded Theory Study of the Information Practices and Role of Serious YouTuber,” was nominated by her advisor Dr. Barbara Wildemuth.
The purpose of this scholarship is to foster research in information science by encouraging and assisting doctoral students in the field with their dissertation research. Submissions are judged on merit with emphasis on the following:
(a) Potential significance of research to the field of information science (no attempt will be made to define “information science,” but the subjects should be consistent with topics usually published in the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology or presented at ASIS&T meetings);
(b) Validity of methodology and proposed methods of analysis;
(c) Originality and creativity;
(d) Clarity and completeness of the proposal;
(e) Presentation of a convincing plan for completion in a reasonable amount of time; and
(f) Evidence of a continuing interest in scholarship, such as, a previous publication record.
The jury considered Ms. Thomson’s dissertation proposal, which explored the information-creating practices of serious YouTubers in the beauty and lifestyle sector, as a thoroughly original, well-conceived study in information seeking research. The jury noted that her proposal is well-situated in the literature, with clear articulation of the research goal, strong theoretical understanding of everyday life information seeking, and rigorous research methods. The jury concluded unanimously that the results would be impactful and make a meaningful contribution to knowledge in our field. The jury added that her dissertation has further potential for exploring much more than she states, namely the interesting gray area of the work of “amateurs” vs. “professionals.”
Ms. Thomson will receive a scholarship award of $1,500 (donated by Clarivate Analytics) as well as $500 towards travel expenses to attend the ASIS&T Annual Meeting.