Current sight-centered designs and services in library and information science (LIS) do not effectively support blind and visually impaired (BVI) users. Simultaneously, there is a lack of studies focused on the research methods utilized in BVI research. This study analyzed 165 research papers retrieved from four LIS databases over a 40-year period. The uniqueness of BVI research methods on research design, data collection, and data analysis is highlighted. While survey and experiment are the two most commonly applied research designs in LIS research, survey and evaluation are the main research designs for BVI research. Concurrently, assessment report is a unique data collection method employed. More quantitative analysis was also applied in BVI research, and most of the qualitative analysis was not specified. This study reveals an opportunity to enhance the diverse approaches to BVI research and further satisfy BVI users' unique needs. •Research methods applied to LIS studies of blind and visually impaired (BVI) users were examined for the first time.•Survey and evaluation were the main research designs for BVI research.•Assessment report was identified as a unique data collection method employed in BVI research.•BVI research involved more quantitative than qualitative analysis and was mostly descriptive.