Paper details
Information Behavior of Doctoral Students and Ecological Information Interactions
Author
Jela Steinerová, Comenius University in Bratislava - Faculty of Philosophy - Department of Library and Information Science, Slovakia
Documents to download
Abstract
Information interactions represent mutual influences between humans and information environment mediated by information technologies. In the paper we present the first results of the research of information behavior of doctoral students in selected sciences, social sciences and humanities. The research is part of wider project aimed at cognitive traveling on web. The objective of the research is the identification of information needs of doctoral students as representatives of young researchers who are trained for the development of research and scientific work. We present the concept of the research based on faceted analysis (research behavior, acquisition and searching of information, information use, organization of information, social media, production). The qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviews was applied, including visualization of information horizons. We also come from results of past research aimed at doctoral students with respect to relevance assessment. First results confirm significant differences between single scientific disciplines in line with previous studies and models (Ellis, Palmer, etc.). In conclusion we interpret consequences for shaping ecological information interactions in digital humanities and social sciences. We present newer models of information ecology and information ethics (form the perspectives of acquisition, organization, and use of information, social networking, information sharing, production and online interactions). As examples we mention concept and topic maps as part of information ecology. We derive recommendations for academic information environment and for creating an information portal for doctoral students. We also articulate recommendations for value-driven design of information systems and services. Keywords: information behavior, doctoral students, digital humanities, digital social sciences, information interactions, information ecology
Author's professional CV
Jela Steinerová is professor in library and information science at Comenius University in Bratislava. She deals especially with human information behavior and information ecology, lectures on theory of information science and creation of information products. She was the head of a number of research projects and an international European project of DELOS digital libraries. She is an author of several monographs and textbooks, a member of editorial boards of international journals, lectures at international conferences. At present she is engaged in the research of information behavior of PhD. students in cooperation with computer science project on cognitive traveling in the web.
