Scholarly Use of Internet-Based Electronic Resources
Zhang, Yin
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/81567
Description
Title
Scholarly Use of Internet-Based Electronic Resources
Author(s)
Zhang, Yin
Issue Date
1999
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Estabrook, Leigh S.
Department of Study
Library and Information Science
Discipline
Library and Information Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Information Science
Language
eng
Abstract
The longitudinal analysis of e-source citations shows that there has been a notable increase in the number and proportion of authors who cite e-sources in their research papers over the past eight years, although at the time of this study, e-sources were still cited much less frequently than print sources. This result provides empirical evidence that e-sources are increasingly used among scholars. Complementing the citation data, the results from the author survey show that e-sources are becoming an important component in scholars' research and are serving a wide range of purposes and functions. The number of access points and self-perceived overall ability to use the Internet are identified as the two significant variables affecting frequency of e-source use. Scholars with more access points to e-sources or with a higher self-perceived overall ability to use the Internet tend to use e-sources more frequently. The results of this study also suggest that a limited number of criteria can be implemented in practice for scholars to evaluate electronic sources and systems. When citing e-sources, scholars consider some factors that are unique to e-sources in addition to the factors they consider for print sources. While the advantages of e-sources promote citing, some drawbacks of e-sources at this stage serve as a barrier. The survey of editors reveals a lack of clearly stated editorial policies regarding citing e-sources. The major problems and concerns reported by scholars regarding using e-sources are summarized. The theoretical implications and practical applications of the findings are discussed.
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