The critical incident technique is a pragmatic method that yields rich data derived from individuals’ spe- cific and related-to-the-truth experiences. This study was conducted to identify and analyze the use of this technique in the field of library and information science (LIS). A review of 523 records retrieved from databases like Web of Science, Scopus, Emerald, LISTA, and Google Scholar revealed that the critical incident technique has been applied in various areas including information-seeking behavior, analysis of positive and negative experiences, reference services, psychological aspects, copyright issues, knowledge management, change management, user satisfaction, the role of resources and in- formation systems in decision-making, as well as the clinical, educational, and research utility of libraries. Researchers have also used this technique to explore users’ perceptions about the role of librarians, investigate the educational role of librarians, and examine users’ perceptions about the invis- ible web. Despite the usefulness of this technique, the study identified many research gaps in its applications, suggesting the need for more attention from researchers in this field.

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