scholarly journals Cross-Cultural Digital Information-Seeking Experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 872-891
Author(s):  
Haifa Binsahl ◽  
Shanton Chang ◽  
Rachelle Bosua
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
English Language ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Use Of Information Sources

The number of Saudi female international students (SFISs) pursuing higher degrees in Western countries has increased dramatically. Many are faced with unusual challenges, especially acting without a male’s permission, interacting with males, and using an open, free Internet. This article proposes that SFISs experience a “digital shift” whereby their cultural, educational, and digital backgrounds impact their information-seeking behavior in Australia. The study used a qualitative interpretivist methodology, interviewing a diverse group of SFISs studying in Australia, to better understand this impact on their everyday information needs and use of information sources. Findings indicate that SFISs’ imperfect online search skills, exacerbated by English language deficiency, increase their challenges. Recommendations for supporting SFISs are offered for institutions and service providers.

The effect of socio-demographic characteristics on the information-seeking behaviors of police officers

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 350-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idris Guclu ◽  
Ali Can
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the information-seeking behaviors of police officers who work in police stations in the context of staying current. Leckie et al.’s (1996) model of the information-seeking behavior of professionals is tested. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research design was employed for data collection. The sample includes 642 cases. It is both descriptive and exploratory. Findings – Police officers first rely upon their personal knowledge and experience, then their colleagues and then official documents. On the other hand, they rarely consulted informants, libraries, journals, books, and attendance at conferences as information sources. There were significant differences in the information sources used by police officers based on their gender in the context of staying current. Lastly, the results of this study indicated that service years in policing and the roles in police station were significantly correlated with the information sources used by police officers regarding staying current. Originality/value – This study, being the first, provides a huge theoretical base for future studies. It contributes to the discipline of information science by validating a theoretical model in a different context. In addition, it contributes to public safety by understanding the frontline police officers’ information needs and information-seeking behavior.

scholarly journals Information Needs and Seeking Behavior of Science & Technology Teachers of the University of the Punjab, Lahore

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
Muzammil Tahira ◽  
Kanwal Ameen
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Quantitative Survey ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
The University

The paper focuses on enquiring the information needs and Information seeking behavior of Science and Technology (S&T) teachers of the University of the Punjab (PU). Their preferences regarding various formats of information sources (printed and electronic) and importance of formal and informal sources have been explored through quantitative survey. Self-completion questionnaire was used to reach whole population of institutions/colleges/departments of all Science and Technology faculties. Findings reveal: both libraries and e-resources are playing important role in meeting respondents' information needs; direct access to e-sources has slightly decreased the number of their visits to departmental and central libraries; and faculty spend comparatively more time on searching web sources than print sources.

scholarly journals Information-seeking behavior of social sciences scholars

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluyomi Oluleke FOLORUNSO
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Electronic Information Resources ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Information-seeking behavior is one of the most important areas of user studies and a concept affected by many factors. Previous researches in these areas indicate that the information-seeking practices of scholars are dependent on their field of research, and vary from one discipline to another. This paper examines the information-seeking behavior of scholars in the social sciences, based on the premise that information-seeking behavior follows universally applicable stages and patterns worldwide. The study was conducted at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER). Fifty eight active social sciences scholars were interviewed via a questionnaire about their information sources for research and consultancy purposes, their preference for electronic or printed formats, their use of electronic or Internet resources, and how they meet or satisfy their information needs, among others. Results show that journals and books were the most preferred information sources, and a large majority of scholars “regularly” used electronic information resources for their research and consultancy needs. The findings of the study also demonstrate diverse usage patterns for electronic information resources among users of different academic ranks and age range. Based on the research findings, the author provides suggestions on how current information services and products can be improved to better serve the users. The author also makes recommendations for improving library services and technologies to better meet the information needs of social sciences scholars in general.

Information seeking behavior in Arabic and English: A case study of scholars at Shaqra University

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Fathy Mahmoud Elgllab ◽  
Ahmed Maher Khafaga Shehata
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
English Language ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
Cross Language

The purpose of this paper is to explore the information seeking behaviour of scholars working at Shaqra University in both Arabic and English languages; to investigate if there are differences in the way scholars seek information while using different languages; to identify challenges while seeking information and to describe the approaches followed by the scholars to seek information. The study deployed a quasi-experimental approach. The sample of the study consisted of 20 participants who are affiliated to Shaqra University. Each participant was asked to solve five tasks, which were designed to capture participants’ information seeking behaviour. Think aloud protocol was also used to gather more data from the participants to enrich the collected data and to fully understand scholars’ behavior. The study found that the participants’ information seeking consists of four main stages: identifying the information needs, selecting the keywords, examining the results and filtering the results. The data revealed that there is no difference between information seeking in Arabic and English languages. However, participants who are from a non-Arabic background were more accustomed to searching information in the English language. There are few studies investigating information seeking behavior of Arabic language speakers. Additionally, fewer studies have tried to explore differences in information seeking behavior while using different languages. The value of the current study lies in being the first study that focuses on investigating information seeking behavior at Shaqra University. Additionally, it is one of a few studies that examine cross-language information seeking practices of Arabic language speakers and the obstacles that face them.

scholarly journals Critical Care Nurses on Duty: Information-Rich but Time-Poor

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Suzanne Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Critical Care Unit ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Computer Systems ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Objective – To describe critical care nurses’ on-duty information-seeking behavior. Design – Participatory action research using ethnographic methods. Setting – A twenty-bed critical care unit in a 275-bed community (non-teaching) hospital. Subjects – A purposive sample of six registered nurses (RNs) working shifts in the critical care unit. Methods – The researcher accompanied six RNs on various shifts (weekdays and weekends, day and night shifts) in the critical care unit and used participant observation and in-context interviews to record fifty hours of the subjects’ information-seeking behavior. Transcripts were written up and checked by the subjects for accuracy and validity. The resulting rich data was analyzed using open coding (concepts which emerged during data gathering, for example “nurse’s personal notes”); in vivo coding (participant-supplied concepts, for example “reading on duty”); and axial coding (hierarchical, researcher-developed concepts such as “information behaviors, information sources, information uses, and information kinds”) (147). Main results – The critical care nurses constantly sought information from people (patients, family members, other health care workers), patient records, monitors, and other computer systems and noticeboards, but very rarely from published sources such as books or online databases. Barriers to information acquisition included equipment failure, illegible handwriting, unavailable people, social protocols (for example physician – nurse interaction), difficult navigation of computer systems, and mistakes caused by simultaneously using multiple complex systems. Conclusion – Critical care nurses’ information behavior is strongly patient-centric. Knowledge-based information sources are rarely consulted on duty due to time constraints and the perception that this would take time away from patient care. In seeking to meet the knowledge-based information needs of this group, librarians should be wary of traditional, academic models of information delivery. Instead, they should consider a tailored ready reference service incorporating quality and quantity filtering.

Information seeking behaviour ofArab social science and humanities postgraduates: Adescriptive study

2021 ◽  
pp. 116-137
Author(s):  
Ahmed Maher Khafaga Shehata ◽  
Amr Hassan Fatouh Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
English Language ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Seeking Behavior

The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study of information-seeking behavior among a group of Arab postgraduate students in social science and humanities disciplines. The paper also explores information-seeking styles and examines how information seeking is affected by external factors. The study employed a qualitative approach to explore informationseeking behavior in the sample and the sources of information used to obtain scholarly information. A sample of 33 participants was interviewed to elucidate the information-seeking behavior of the Arabic language speakers. The analysis of the interviews revealed that the participants use different methods to find information on the internet. These methods vary from using search engines to using sites that provide pirated scholarly papers. The data showed that most of the sample students use search engines and databases provided by their universities, but they should be trained in research ethics to avoid unacceptable research practices. The results also indicate that searching in other languages represents a challenge for Arab postgraduates in the social sciences and humanities. This study was conducted with social science and humanities postgraduates as part of a series of studies aiming to explore Arab language speakers' scholarly practices. The information-seeking behavior of science disciplines may differ, as the teaching language is mainly in English. This study contributes to the field by expanding our understanding of how non-English language speakers seek scholarly information and what sources are used to obtain the scholarly papers.

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