The use of online electronic information resources in scientific research: The case of neuroscience

Using Embase as a supplement to PubMed in Cochrane reviews differed across fields

OBJECTIVE

Medline/PubMed is often first choice for health science researchers when doing literature searches. However, Medline/PubMed does not cover the health science research literature equally well across specialties. Embase is often considered an important supplement to Medline/PubMed in health sciences. The present study analyzes the coverage of Embase as a supplement to PubMed, and the aim of the study is to investigate if searching Embase can compensate for low PubMed retrieval.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

The population in this study is all the included studies in all Cochrane reviews from 2012 to 2016 across the 53 Cochrane groups. The analyses were performed using two units of analysis (study and publication). We are examining the coverage in Embase of publications and studies not covered by PubMed (25,119 publications and 9,420 studies).

RESULTS

The results showed that using Embase as a supplement to PubMed resulted in a coverage of 66,994 publications out of 86,167 and a coverage rate of 77.7, 95% CI [75.05, 80.45] of all the included publications. Embase combined with PubMed covered 48,326 out of 54,901 studies and thus had a coverage rate of 88.0%, 95% CI [86.2, 89.9] of studies. The results also showed that supplementing PubMed with Embase increased coverage of included publications by 6.8 percentage points, and the coverage of studies increased by 5.5 percentage points. Substantial differences were found across and within review groups over time.

CONCLUSION

The included publications and studies in some groups are covered considerably better by supplementing with Embase, whereas in other groups, the difference in coverage is negligible. However, due to the variation over time, one should be careful predicting the benefit from supplementing PubMed with Embase to retrieve relevant publications to include in a review.

The influences of social value orientation and domain knowledge on crowdsourcing manuscript transcription

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how social value orientation and domain knowledge affect cooperation levels and transcription quality in crowdsourced manuscript transcription, and contribute to the recruitment of participants in such projects in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a quasi-experiment using Transcribe-Sheng, which is a well-known crowdsourced manuscript transcription project in China, to investigate the influences of social value orientation and domain knowledge. The experiment lasted one month and involved 60 participants. ANOVA was used to test the research hypotheses. Moreover, inverviews and thematic analyses were conducted to analyze the qualitative data in order to provide additional insights.

Findings

The analysis confirmed that in crowdsourced manuscript transcription, social value orientation has a significant effect on participants’ cooperation level and transcription quality; domain knowledge has a significant effect on participants’ transcription quality, but not on their cooperation level. The results also reveal the interactive effect of social value orientation and domain knowledge on cooperation levels and quality of transcription. The analysis of the qualitative data illustrated the influences of social value orientation and domain knowledge on crowdsourced manuscript transcription in detail.

Originality/value

Researchers have paid little attention to the impacts of the psychological and cognitive factors on crowdsourced manuscript transcription. This study investigated the effect of social value orientation and the combined effect of social value orientation and domain knowledge in this context. The findings shed light on crowdsourcing transcription initiatives in the cultural heritage domain and can be used to facilitate participant selection in such projects.

Understanding users’ continuance intention to use online library resources based on an extended expectation-confirmation model

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting students’ continuance intention to use online library resources (OLRs) in the context of academic libraries. Based on an extended expectation confirmation theory (ECT), the effects of usefulness, confirmation and resource quality on continuance intention to use OLRs were examined.

Design/methodology/approach

To empirically test the model, a survey study was conducted. Data were collected from 606 student library users at a large state university in the USA. The collected data were analysed quantitatively to answer seven hypotheses using partial least squares method.

Findings

The findings revealed that both usefulness and confirmation had a positive direct and indirect influence on continuance intention. Also, the effect of resource quality on continuance intention was found to be significant. Satisfaction had a mediating effect on the relationship between usefulness, confirmation and resource quality, and continuance intention.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first attempts that adopted the ECT to understand students’ continuance intention to use OLRs. In addition, the effect of the multiple dimensions of resource quality – accessibility, credibility, coverage, and format – on users’ continuance intention to use OLRs was investigated.

Analysis of PubMed User Sessions Using a Full-Day PubMed Query Log: A Comparison of Experienced and Nonexperienced PubMed Users

Background

PubMed is the largest biomedical bibliographic information source on the Internet. PubMed has been considered one of the most important and reliable sources of up-to-date health care evidence. Previous studies examined the effects of domain expertise/knowledge on search performance using PubMed. However, very little is known about PubMed users’ knowledge of information retrieval (IR) functions and their usage in query formulation.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to shed light on how experienced/nonexperienced PubMed users perform their search queries by analyzing a full-day query log. Our hypotheses were that (1) experienced PubMed users who use system functions quickly retrieve relevant documents and (2) nonexperienced PubMed users who do not use them have longer search sessions than experienced users.

Methods

To test these hypotheses, we analyzed PubMed query log data containing nearly 3 million queries. User sessions were divided into two categories: experienced and nonexperienced. We compared experienced and nonexperienced users per number of sessions, and experienced and nonexperienced user sessions per session length, with a focus on how fast they completed their sessions.

Results

To test our hypotheses, we measured how successful information retrieval was (at retrieving relevant documents), represented as the decrease rates of experienced and nonexperienced users from a session length of 1 to 2, 3, 4, and 5. The decrease rate (from a session length of 1 to 2) of the experienced users was significantly larger than that of the nonexperienced groups.

Conclusions

Experienced PubMed users retrieve relevant documents more quickly than nonexperienced PubMed users in terms of session length.

Domain knowledge and data quality perceptions in genome curation work

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand genomics scientists’ perceptions in data quality assurances based on their domain knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study used a survey method to collect responses from 149 genomics scientists grouped by domain knowledge. They ranked the top-five quality criteria based on hypothetical curation scenarios. The results were compared using χ2 test.

Findings

– Scientists with domain knowledge of biology, bioinformatics, and computational science did not reach a consensus in ranking data quality criteria. Findings showed that biologists cared more about curated data that can be concise and traceable. They were also concerned about skills dealing with information overloading. Computational scientists on the other hand value making curation understandable. They paid more attention to the specific skills for data wrangling.

Originality/value

– This study takes a new approach in comparing the data quality perceptions for scientists across different domains of knowledge. Few studies have been able to synthesize models to interpret data quality perception across domains. The findings may help develop data quality assurance policies, training seminars, and maximize the efficiency of genome data management.

Evaluation of organizational support for use of online information resources in nursing care

OBJECTIVES

While there is general agreement concerning the barriers to use online information resources in nursing decisions, there have not been any studies that demonstrate how healthcare organizations have overcome these obstacles in developing countries. The purpose of this present study was to evaluate organizational support of healthcare organizations after introducing information technology for the use of online information resources in nursing care.

METHODS

This study was performed on nurses and nursing students in hospitals affiliated to the Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

RESULTS

The findings showed that the use of online information resources was not adequately supported by healthcare social networks and the role of leadership has received minimal attention.

CONCLUSIONS

There appears to be little confidence in the usefulness of evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing care in Iranian society. The development of organizational norms for EBP behavior within an organization is important, and in order to monitor the development of these behaviors, the cultural competence in the healthcare institutions should be assessed and measured. However, it is far more difficult to develop a robust design, which encompasses the implementation of EBP across an entire organization. Such studies are highly complex and would need to be adapted as the organization changed, in addition, they would be likely to take considerable time to complete. Nevertheless, such studies are essential if a full understanding of organizational approaches to promoting EBP in developing countries is to occur.

The assessment of strategic plans of a developing country for solving barriers to access evidence-based information sources

OBJECTIVE

Most developing societies attempt to eliminate physicians and medical students' barriers to the use of evidence-based information to ensure about delivering the best practice. Hence, health sector of Iran has conducted numerous educational interventions and has provided information technology infrastructure through strategic plans to provide opportunity for physicians and medical students to use research-based information in their clinical decision from 2005. The aim of this study is to reply a question. Have the reforms of a developing country eliminated the physicians and medical assistants and students' barriers to the use of research and evidence-based information resources?

METHODS

A descriptive study was performed among 315 physicians, assistants, and medical students in the affiliated hospitals of Semnan University of medical sciences in 2012.

RESULTS

The results reflected actual world scenarios in developing countries, and obviously showed that the investments could not overcome the main obstacles to the extent that was hoped.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers organizational and cultural approaches and information management to simplify the usage of evidence-based information sources in practice in developing countries.

Information literacy: perceptions of Brazilian HIV/AIDS researchers

BACKGROUND

Information literacy has evolved with changes in lifelong learning. Can Brazilian health researchers search for and use updated scientific information?

OBJECTIVES

To describe researchers' information literacy based on their perceptions of their abilities to search for and use scientific information and on their interactions with libraries.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews and focus group conducted with six Brazilian HIV/AIDS researchers. Analyses comprised the assessment of researchers as disseminators, their interactions with librarians, their use of information and communication technology and language.

RESULTS

Interviewees believed they were partially qualified to use databases. They used words and phrases that indicated their knowledge of technology and terminology. They acted as disseminators for students during information searches. Researchers' abilities to interact with librarians are key skills, especially in a renewed context where libraries have, to a large extent, changed from physical spaces to digital environments.

DISCUSSION

Great amounts of information have been made available, and researchers' participation in courses does not automatically translate into adequate information literacy. Librarians must help research groups, and as such, librarians' information literacy-related responsibilities in Brazil should be redefined and expanded.

CONCLUSIONS

Students must develop the ability to learn quickly, and librarians should help them in their efforts. Librarians and researchers can act as gatekeepers for research groups and as information coaches to improve others' search abilities.

Integrating the hospital library with patient care, teaching and research: model and Web 2.0 tools to create a social and collaborative community of clinical research in a hospital setting

BACKGROUND

Research in hospital settings faces several difficulties. Information technologies and certain Web 2.0 tools may provide new models to tackle these problems, allowing for a collaborative approach and bridging the gap between clinical practice, teaching and research.

OBJECTIVES

We aim to gather a community of researchers involved in the development of a network of learning and investigation resources in a hospital setting.

METHODS

A multi-disciplinary work group analysed the needs of the research community. We studied the opportunities provided by Web 2.0 tools and finally we defined the spaces that would be developed, describing their elements, members and different access levels.

MODEL DESCRIPTION

WIKINVESTIGACION is a collaborative web space with the aim of integrating the management of all the hospital's teaching and research resources. It is composed of five spaces, with different access privileges. The spaces are: Research Group Space 'wiki for each individual research group', Learning Resources Centre devoted to the Library, News Space, Forum and Repositories.

CONCLUSIONS

The Internet, and most notably the Web 2.0 movement, is introducing some overwhelming changes in our society. Research and teaching in the hospital setting will join this current and take advantage of these tools to socialise and improve knowledge management.

Electronic resources at the University of Sharjah medical library: an investigation of students' information-seeking behavior

Electronic information is becoming prevalent worldwide, and its use is growing exponentially as more and more users are recognizing the potential that it offers in terms of access and delivery. However, with the introduction of new tools for e-information searching and retrieval, users have to readjust their information-seeking behavior to cope with the corresponding changes. The University of Sharjah library is steadily increasing its investment in e-resources to offer ubiquitous access to the growing body of literature in areas that interest the community it serves. This study reports the findings of a survey conducted to investigate the information-seeking behavior of medical students at the medical library. Results showed evidence of use of e-resources, but they did not explicitly establish that some of the major problems mentioned by participants did hinder the information searches of the respondents. An extensive literature review sets the background for the study.