information behavior – InfoDoc MicroVeille

Author : Peymon Montazeri

Peers are an essential part of any community. In doctoral studies, they can alleviate the challenges associated with pursuing a doctorate by providing information that supports academic progress. While prior research has examined peer interactions in structured environments, less is known about their behavior in unstructured settings.

A particular gap in the literature concerns the rationale behind choosing peers as sources of information in these contexts. This study addressed that gap by exploring information seeking and sharing among peers in unstructured environments.

Using a qualitative approach, it identified several influential factors related to the environment (e.g. access, resource availability) and the student involved (e.g. trust, convenience, desire to help, perceived competence, sense of obligation or giving back).

These led to the creation of the Doctoral Peer Information Behavior (DPIB) model. The findings further highlight the importance of peers in doctoral education. Institutions are encouraged to create opportunities for peer interaction, while students may benefit from becoming aware of their own information behavior and intentionally planning such interactions.

URL : Information seeking and sharing among doctoral peers: A model of influencing factors

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006261444725

Building upon a process- and context-oriented information quality framework, this paper seeks to map and explore what we know about the ways in which young users of age 18 and under search for information online, how they evaluate information, and how their related practices of content creation, levels of new literacies, general digital media usage, and social patterns affect these activities.

A review of selected literature at the intersection of digital media, youth, and information quality — primarily works from library and information science, sociology, education, and selected ethnographic studies — reveals patterns in youth’s information-seeking behavior, but also highlights the importance of contextual and demographic factors both for search and evaluation.

Looking at the phenomenon from an information-learning and educational perspective, the literature shows that youth develop competencies for personal goals that sometimes do not transfer to school, and are sometimes not appropriate for school.

Thus far, educational initiatives to educate youth about search, evaluation, or creation have depended greatly on the local circumstances for their success or failure. »

URL : http://ssrn.com/abstract=2005272