Information resource preference of postgraduate students . at Sokoine University of Agriculture: a citation analysis
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Date
2014-06
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Abstract
A study was conducted to understand the nature of information resources used
by postgraduate students in the course of their research at Sokoine University
of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania. This was achieved through a citation
analysis of master dissertations and doctoral theses that were deposited at
Sokoine National Agricultural Library between 2002 and 2012. Specifically,
the study identified the type and form of information resources cited by
postgraduate students, established the obsolescence of the literature cited, and
examined the students' preference for e-resources. A total of 118 master degree
dissertations and 74 doctoral theses were included in the study. Theses and
dissertations were manually examined to extract citations and collect the
required data, which were then analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The findings
revealed that postgraduate students at SUA prefer journal articles to other
resources. E-resources and e-journals in particular were poorly cited in
postgraduate students' works. The . findings also revealed that most cited
resources were old although many cited e-resources were relatively newer.
Based on these findings, it is recommended that universities should sensitize
postgraduate students to use quality scholarly e-resources particularly ejournals.
Libraries should take steps to overcome factors that constrain
effective access and retrieval of e-resources. Emphasis should also be placed
to ensure that students adhere to using correct citation methods and equipping
instructors with skills to detect incorrect citations. It is important that
information literacy courses are incorporated in the universities' curricula.
Description
Journal of Continuing Education and Extension, 2014; 5(2):641-655
Keywords
Citation analysis, Resource preference, Postgraduate students, Sokoine University of Agriculture