Emerald | Journal of Documentation

Modelling information-seeking behaviour of graduate students at Kuwait University

Nujoud Al-Muomen, Anne morris, Sally Maynard — 2012-04-17 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - This paper reports the results of research conducted to model the information-seeking behaviour of graduate students at Kuwait University and the factors influencing that behaviour. Design/methodology/approach - The research employed a number of different approaches: a questionnaire survey to 800 graduate students studying at Kuwait University; a questionnaire survey to 180 academics at the university; semi-structured interviews with eight academics; face-to-face and online interviews with 11 University library staff, four focus groups with 24 students and three focus groups with 10 faculty staff.Findings - Significant factors influencing students’ information-seeking behaviour were found to be related to library awareness, information literacy, organisational and environmental issues, source characteristics, and demographics (specifically gender and nationality). Research limitations/implications - The research focused on graduate students at a Kuwait University which is affiliated to the government sector, however, the information seeking model is more widely applicable, particularly to other developing countries. Originality/value - Proposed is an information seeking model that extended two other relevant and influential models of information-seeking behaviour. The extended model shows promise for its intended utility in identifying factors that influence the information behaviour of graduate students.

Development of Arabic Library and Information Science: an Analysis Utilizing Whitley’s Theory of the Intellectual and Social Organization of Sciences

Ali Al-Aufi, Peter Johan Lor — 2012-07-20 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The paper utilizes Whitley’s (1984; 2000) theory of the intellectual and social organization of the sciences and builds on research carried on by (Aarek et. al, 1992; Vakkari, 1996; Rochester and Vakkari, 2004 and Åström, 2008), to analyze both intellectual and institutional characteristics of Arabic library and information science.Design/methodology/approach - Data derived from a content analysis of sampled research articles published in seven core peer-reviewed Arabic LIS journals and from an inventory of the currently identified Arabic LIS educational institutions, professional associations, and scholarly communication channels were analyzed in terms of Whitley’s theory and relevant LIS research. Findings - The social organization of Arabic LIS has highly influenced its intellectual organization. An analysis of types and diversity of institutional affiliations, determination of terminology, resources and fund accessibility, scholarly communication of intellectual productivity, and research collaboration point to high levels of ‘tasks uncertainty’, low levels of ‘mutual dependency’ and uncontrolled ‘reputational autonomy’.Research limitations/implications - Because Arabic LIS institutions, associations, and research channels are poorly represented on the Internet or in accessible literature, it was difficult to collect data comprehensively. While our findings are suggestive and are in agreement with views from the Arabic LIS literature, our results cannot be generalized to regions beyond the Arab World. This investigation is not primarily intended as a contribution to the philosophy of LIS, but to describe the development of LIS in the Arab States within a broad social and intellectual framework.Originality/value - While there is a considerable body of theoretically oriented interpretations for bibliometric findings, no research has been conducted to analyze the social and intellectual dimensions of LIS in the Arab World. This paper also fills a gap for this type of the research in Arabic LIS and creates awareness of Arabic LIS for English-speaking readers.

Expectancy-value beliefs and information needs as motivators for task-based information seeking

Reijo Savolainen — 2012-07-20 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to elaborate the picture of the motivators for information seeking by comparing the conceptualizations of task-based information need and expectancy-value theories.Design/methodology/approach - The article is a conceptual analysis of major articles characterizing task-based information needs and expectancy-value theories developed in psychology since the 1950s.Findings - The conceptualizations of task-based information need approach the motivators for information seeking in terms of the informational requirements posed by tasks at hand. However, the ways in which such needs trigger and drive information seeking have not specified in detail. Expectancy-value theories provide a more elaborate picture of motivational factors by focusing on actor´s beliefs about the probability of success in information seeking and the perceived value of the outcome of this activity.Research limitations/implications - The findings are based on the comparison of two research approaches only.Originality/value - So far, information scientists have largely ignored the psychological theories of motivation. The study demonstrates the potential of such approaches by discussing an established psychological theory. The findings indicate that such theories hold a good potential to elaborate the models of task-based information seeking in particular.

Measuring the Web Impact of Digitised Scholarly Resources

Kathryn Emma Eccles, Mike Thelwall, Eric T Meyer — 2012-07-20 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - Webometric studies, using hyperlinks between web sites as the basic data type, have been used to assess academic networks, the ‘impact factor’ of academic communications and to analyse the impact of online digital libraries, and the impact of digital scholarly images. This study is the first to use these methods to trace the impact, or success, of digitised scholarly resources in the Humanities. Running alongside a number of other methods of measuring impact online, the webometric study described here assesses whether it is possible to measure a resource’s impact using webometric analysis. Design/methodology/approach - Link data was collected for five target project sites, and a range of comparator sites. Findings - The results show that digitised resources online can leave traces that can be identified and used to assess their impact. Where digitised resources are situated on shifting URLs, or amalgamated into larger online resources, their impact is difficult to measure with these methods, however. Originality/value - This study is the first to use webometric methods to probe the impact of digitised scholarly resources in the Humanities.

Journal peer review as an information retrieval process

Lutz Bornmann, Leo Egghe — 2012-07-20 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - In editorial peer review systems of journals, one does not always accept the best papers. Due to different human perceptions, the evaluation of papers by peer review (for a journal) can be different from the impact that a paper has after its publication (measured by number of citations received) in this or another journal. This system (and corresponding problems) is similar to the information retrieval process in a documentary system. Also there one retrieves not always the most relevant documents for a certain topic. This is so because the topic is described in the command language of the documentary system and this command does not always completely cover the "real topic" that one wants to describe.Design/methodology/approach - Based on this statement we are applying classical information retrieval evaluation techniques to the evaluation of peer review systems. Basic in such an information retrieval evaluation are the notions of precision and recall and the precision-recall-curve. Such notions are introduced here for the evaluation of peer review systems.Findings - The analogues of precision and recall are defined and we construct their curve based on peer review data from the journal Angewandte Chemie - International Edition and on citation impact data of accepted papers by this journal or rejected but published elsewhere papers.Originality/value - We conclude that, due to the imperfect peer review process (based on human evaluation), if we want to publish a high amount of qualified papers (the ones we seek), one will also accept several non-qualified papers as well.

Harvesting Footnotes in a Rural Field: Citation Patterns in Swedish Literary Studies

Björn Hammarfelt — 2012-04-12 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The aim of this article is to study a locally oriented and book-based research field using two Swedish-language sources. Knowledge about citation patterns outside journal based, English-language databases is scarce; thus a substantial part of research in the humanities and the social sciences is neglected in bibliometric studies. Design/methodology/approach - Citation characteristics (publication type, language, gender and age) in the journal Tidskrift för Litteraturvetenskap (2000-2009) and in grant applications (2006-2009) are studied. The datasets are analyzed further, adopting an author-co-citation approach for depicting and comparing the ‘intellectual base’ of the field.Findings - It is shown that monographs and anthologies are the main publication channel in Swedish literary research. English, followed by Swedish, is the major language, and the gender of authors seems to influence citation practices. Furthermore, a common intellectual base of literary studies that is independent of publication type and language could be identified.Research limitations/implications - Practical implications - Bibliometric analysis of fields within the humanities needs to go beyond established databases and materials. The extensive use of recent English-language monographs in Swedish literary studies informs the acquisition policy of university libraries serving literature scholars.Originality/value - Citation analysis of non-English sources offers further knowledge about scholarly fields with a local and ‘rural’ profile. The approach of using references in grant applications provides a novel and promising venue for bibliometric research.

LIS research on information sharing activities – people, places, or information

Ola Pilerot — 2012-07-20 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to investigate and critically examine conceptualisations of information sharing activities in a selection of library and information science (LIS) literature.Design/methodology/approach - In order to explore how library and information science researchers define the concept of information sharing, and how the concept is connected with theory, empirical material and other supporting concepts, a literature review and a conceptual meta-analysis was carried out on 35 papers and one monograph. The analysis was based on Waismann’s concept of open texture, Wittgenstein’s notion of language games and the concept of meaning holism.Findings - Six theoretical frameworks were identified. These are not found to be incommensurable, but can be used as building blocks for an integrative framework. Ambiguous conceptualisations are frequent. Different conceptualisations tend to emphasize different aspects of information sharing activities: that which is shared; those who are sharing; and the location in which the sharing activities take place. The commonalities of the people involved in information sharing activities are often seen as a ground for the development of information sharing practices.Research limitations/implications - Practical implications - The findings provide a guide for future research which intends to explore activities of information sharing.Originality/value - The article offers a systematic review of recent LIS literature on information sharing, and extends the theoretical base for information sharing research.

User Verification of the FRBR Conceptual Model

Jan Pisanski, Maja Žumer — 2012-07-20 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The paper aims to build on of a previous study of mental models of the bibliographic universe, which found that the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) conceptual model is intuitive.Design/methodology/approach - 120 participants were presented with a list of bibliographic entities and six graphs each. They were asked to choose the graph they thought best represented the relationships between entities described. Findings - The graph based on the FRBR model was chosen by more than half of the participants and none of the alternatives stood out, This gives further indication that FRBR is an appropriate model of the bibliographic universe from users’ standpoint.Research limitations/implications - The study only looked at the textual part of the bibliographic universe. Further research is needed for other types of materials. Practical implications - This research suggests that there should be a more positive attitude towards implementation of FRBR-based catalogues.Originality/value - This is one of only a handful of user studies relating to FRBR, which looks to be the backbone of catalogues for years to come. As such, the results should be of interest to everybody involved with catalogues, from cataloguers to the end-users.