The purpose of the study was to investigate the rigour and relevance of IS research; as researchers and practitioners are divided and living in a different world of aspiration m conducting research. This division is as a result of many reasons. The gap between researchers and practitioners has promulgated debate and argument among the two that has lasted for years. Many believed that IS research is effective and others opposed it. Others within or outside the discipline consider whether IS research output affects and impacts decision making in the industry. Meanwhile, the debate on rigour and relevance has lasted for decades but, in reality, the differences gap still persists, in spite of efforts by researchers. Their efforts and hard-work seem not to be very effective. This study seeks to determine whether practitioners meet their needs and expectations and whether they address them through the rigour and relevance of IS/academic research. It is also to determine whether this debate which has lingered over the years is worth it. The growing problems and needs in the practitioners' world call for an investigation into this rigour and relevance. There is an on-going criticism that IS research lacks rigour, relevance. effective communication and acceptance in the field as noted in the literature. The identified problem under investigation now is lack of rigour, relevance and other issues such as consistency, transparency, communication and inaccessibi lity in IS research. The population for the study comprised academic lecturers attending the South African Institute for Computer Scientists and Information Technologists (SAICSIT 2012) conference and North-West University IS and Computer Science (Mafikeng Campus) academics. The population was 90 lecturers/academics and the sample size of 73 answered the questionnaires. / Thesis (M.Com.(Information Systems) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2013

Context: Academic researchers publish their results of new and advanced scientific knowledge (often in close collaboration with industry) in academic journals and conferences. However, it is not know to what extent this information reaches the practitioners. So far this has not been investigated. This information will help researchers in the dissemination process of their research findings. Objectives: In this study we investigate which types of knowledge dissemination forums exist in software engineering, how frequent and aware they are to software practitioners and how useful they find it in improving their professional activities. Methods: We conducted a survey of software practitioners posted on LinkedIn, Yahoo, Facebook, Google+, Meetup and Google groups. The survey contained demographics information, seven types of forums for obtaining scientific knowledge and how important respondents felt these forums improve their professional activities. Results: The results of the survey indicate that Book Publishers, Blogs, Video Tutorial and Social Media are considerable forums of sharing new and advance scientific knowledge for software practitioners. Whilst, IT magazines, scientific journals and meetings are suggested to be less considered forums in gaining new and advanced scientific knowledge. Conclusions: We conclude that academic researchers could improve the exposure of their research findings by presenting their results not only in journals and meetings. But also in new forums where they can represent results in the form of videos, blogs or social media. This exposes their research findings to a larger audience of software practitioners. / C/O TALUKDER MAMUN SÄRLAGATAN 13B 214 48, MALMO. Phone: 0733499525

The present study investigates the information gathering behaviour of the academic researchers at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. It endeavours to explore researchers' awareness and attitudes towards information sources and services. Research methods for this study were designed from the user-centred perspective with triangulation approach. Hence, data was collected by the use of semistructured interviews as the main instrument with journal study and observation as supplementary tools. The information was collected from the members of the research community in their capacity as users of information. The study investigates the information needs and information gathering habits of the research community and attempts to identify the problems experienced by researchers in accessing and using information. It also seeks to explore the national policy for planning and provision of information. Finally the study examines the performance of the various information services in the context of user needs and the status of the institution library information service provision. The research concludes that present information environment at Sultan Qaboos University is inadequate to meet the information needs of the research community. It was found that the major causes for the situation was the lack of clear information policies, inadequate funding, ineffective partnership between top management and academic researchers, lack of effective in house training and finally absence of a reliable information technology infrastructure.

This study investigated the extent of Research Data Management (RDM) adoption at the University of Namibia (UNAM), viewing it from the researcher’s perspective. The objectives of the study were to investigate the extent to which RDM has been adopted as part of the research process at UNAM, to identify challenges encountered by researchers attempting to practice RDM and to provide solutions to some of the challenges identified. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory was adopted for the study to place UNAM within an innovation-decision process stage. The study took a quantitative approach of which a survey was used. A stratified sample was drawn from a list of all 948 faculty members (the number of academics taken from the UNAM annual report of 2016). The Raosoft sample size calculator (Raosoft, 2004) states that 274 is the minimum recommended sample size necessary for a 5% margin of error and a 95% confidence level from a population of 948, and this was the intended sample size. A questionnaire administered via an online web-based software tool, SurveyMonkey, was used. A series of questions was asked to individuals to obtain statistically useful information on the topic under study. The paid version of SurveyMonkey was used for analysis while graphics and tables were created in Microsoft Excel. The results of the study showed that for the group that responded to the survey, the extent to which they have adopted RDM practices is still very low. Although individuals were found to be managing their research data, this was done out of their own free will; this is to say that there was no policy mandating and guiding their practices. The researcher placed most of the groups that responded to the survey at the first stage of the innovation-decision process, which is the information stage. However, librarians who responded to the survey were found to be more advanced as they were seen to be aware of and engaged in knowledge acquisition regarding RDM practices. Thus, the researcher placed them at the second stage in the innovation-decision process (Persuasion). Recommendations for the study are based on the analysed data. It is recommended, among others, that UNAM should give directives in the form of policies to enhance the adoption of RDM practices and this should be communicated to the entire UNAM community to create awareness regarding the concept of RDM.

Yes / Given the increasing challenges in academia since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial to understand how work demands, life demands, and job resources affect the mental health of academic researchers. In extending the job demands-resources theory, the present study investigates the relationships between job resources, research work demand, life demand (i.e. caring responsibility), stress, loneliness and mental health among doctoral students and academics. The results from a secondary dataset of 4,563 academic researchers (academics undertaking research and doctoral students) in the UK indicate that job resources are positively associated with mental health, while caring responsibility and loneliness are negatively impacted mental health. Stress is also found to partially mediate (explains) the relationships between job resources, research work demand, and mental health. Moreover, loneliness moderates the positive impact of job resources on mental health, particularly attenuating this relationship for academic researchers who experience higher levels of loneliness. Surprisingly, during Covid-19, the moderation effect of gender on the path from caring responsibility to stress is significantly stronger for males than for female colleagues. Feeling unprepared, male colleagues who were pressured to take on caring responsibilities experienced higher stress. We suggest strategic interventions to enhance job resources and support researchers who have caregiving responsibilities, while also alleviating stress and feelings of loneliness. Future research should engage alternative perspectives at both individual (e.g., age, familial wealth) and institutional (e.g., education system, discipline/field) levels.