This dissertation describes the credibility judgment process using social psychological theories of dual-processing, which state that information processing outcomes are the result of an interaction “between a fast, associative information- processing mode based on low-effort heuristics, and a slow, rule-based information processing mode based on high-effort systematic reasoning” (Chaiken & Trope, 1999, p. ix). Further, this interaction is illustrated by describing credibility judgments as a choice between examining easily identified peripheral cues (the messenger) and content (the message), leading to different evaluations in different settings. The focus here is on the domain of the Web, where ambiguous authorship, peer- produced content, and the lack of gatekeepers create an environment where credibility judgments are a necessary routine in triaging information. It reviews the relevant literature on existing credibility frameworks and the component factors that affect credibility judgments. The online encyclopedia (instantiated as Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica) is then proposed as a canonical form to examine the credibility judgment process. The two main claims advanced here are (1) that information sources are composed of both message (the content) and messenger (the way the message is delivered), and that the messenger impacts perceived credibility; and (2) that perceived credibility is tempered by information need (individual engagement). These claims were framed by the models proposed by Wathen & Burkell (2002) and Chaiken (1980) to forward a composite dual process theory of credibility judgments, which was tested by two experimental studies. The independent variables of interest were: media format (print or electronic); reputation of source (Wikipedia or Britannica); and the participant’s individual involvement in the research task (high or low). The results of these studies encourage a more nuanced understanding of the credibility judgment process by framing it as a dual-process model, and showing that certain mediating variables can affect the relative use of low-effort evaluation and high- effort reasoning when forming a perception of credibility. Finally, the results support the importance of messenger effects on perceived credibility, implying that credibility judgments, especially in the online environment, and especially in cases of low individual engagement, are based on peripheral cues rather than an informed evaluation of content. / text

The entire world needs and seeks information to survive and thrive in the 21st century as a result of information acquisition, with doctors, lawyers, teachers, students and even the elderly all desiring information for their everyday activities. Researchers of different disciplines working at the various federal institutes in Nigeria are no exceptions to the craving for requisite information that will enable them successfully carry out their numerous research projects undertaken towards achieving sustainable national development. The aim of the study was to investigate the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of researchers at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Nigeria. This study applied both quantitative and qualitative research approaches for the purpose of triangulation. The quantitative approach had a strong dominance over the qualitative approach in this study. This study adopted the positivist paradigm. The questionnaire, interview and observation data collection tools were the chosen tools used to collect data from researchers from the six departments of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi and five professional librarians of the institute’s library. Out of 165 questionnaires that were administered to researchers, a total of 121 were returned (resulting in a response rate of 73%). Inaccuracies were identified in seven copies of the questionnaires which were discarded and not analysed. Therefore, usable returns totalled 114 (67%). Wilson’s 1999 model of information behaviour was used as the theoretical framework. This study revealed that both formal and informal sources were consulted by the researchers. It was important to note that the internet was the information source most commonly used by the researchers to obtain information. The institute’s library was poorly used because it contained outdated library materials and was not equipped with an internet facility. The researchers opted for the use of mobile phone/iPad, personally owned or sourced internet access and business centres (supplying internet services outside the institute) to access information sources for information. The study ascertained that there was undoubtedly an instituted library officially established within the institute to provide information to researchers. But due to socio-economic and political problems faced by the country Nigeria, predominantly with respect to the outlook of poor funding of sustainable library development concerns and the government’s lack of interest in research, outdated library collections and poor information provision services have become the given at the institute’s library. This ultimately brought about pessimistic reactions from the researchers. Among its recommendations, the study suggested that funding the institute’s library in order to update and replace outdated library collections is a priority. An information audit should be carried out to ascertain the current state of ICTs within the institute and the institute’s library should be equipped with an internet facility promptly. Adopting these recommendations would enable researchers to have limitless access to items of information they need for research as they seek for information. / Information Science / D. Phil. (Information Science)

本論文之研究目的在以成本與利益觀點，驗證產品資訊搜尋過程，消費者於對搜尋時間成本與產品資訊信心程度之主觀估計，在極大化程度對消費者產品資訊搜尋行為影響所扮演的中介變數角色，藉此瞭解產品資訊搜尋階段，極大化程度對消費者資訊搜尋行為與態度之影響機制。 極大化程度為一種個人追求最佳選擇程度之人格特質傾向。過去極大化程度在消費者行為領域之相關研究，多聚焦於探討不同極大化程度消費者之選項數量偏好、時間成本投入意願與決策後情感反應之差異，甚少有消費者資訊搜尋過程相關議題之討論。本研究認為，產品資訊搜尋實為消費者整體選擇與決策歷程最重要之階段，經常影響消費決策之最終品質，因此若要真正瞭解極大化程度對消費者選擇行為與態度差異之影響，除從極大化人格特質基本定義做為影響之解釋外，亦須藉由探討極大化程度在產品資訊搜尋過程，對消費者資訊成本與利益認知之影響中，連結出整段消費者選擇行為歷程之影響機制關係。 本論文以Ratchford (1982) 所提之「資訊搜尋之成本－利益模式 (The Cost-Benefit Model for Information Seeking)」為理論基礎，並將研究分為兩部份，研究一為探討不同極大化程度消費者在產品挑選機制與產品屬性要求標準上的差異，透過受測者對四項產品之屬性重要度評估、對特定屬性規格之期望標準，得知不同極大化程度受測者在產品屬性重視的程度、視為重要的屬性數量，以及產品屬性要求標準上之差異。研究二則採取2 (資訊延遲時間高、低)×2 (產品屬性離散程度高、低) 組間設計實驗，透過本研究設計之虛擬產品購物網站平台，讓受測者執行產品資訊搜尋任務，從中衡量受測者對產品資訊搜尋時間成本與資訊信心之主觀估計，驗證單位搜尋時間估計與單位資訊效用估計在極大化程度對受測者產品資訊搜尋數量、搜尋過程滿意度與產品知覺價值中，扮演之中介變數角色，以瞭解箇中之內在心理機制。 研究結果顯示，極大化程度與產品屬性重視程度及屬性要求標準呈現顯著正向關係，極大化受測者對產品屬性的重視程度與對產品屬性的要求標準皆較滿足化者高。足見不同極大化程度消費者對選擇之追求目標差異，會具體展現於產品遴選機制與屬性要求標準上。而經過中介變數關係檢定後也發現，極大化程度越高之受測者所估計之搜尋時間與對資訊在決策幫助上的信心越低，因而正向影響了搜尋的產品數量，搜尋時間成本與資訊效用估計亦分別成為受測者對搜尋過程滿意度以及對產品知覺價值之中介變數。 本論文之研究成果除驗證極大化選擇目標與產品遴選機制及屬性要求標準之關聯性外，亦進一步得知極大化程度影響消費者產品資訊搜尋行為與態度之內在心理機制，成功將系統性之消費者資訊搜尋經濟模式與極大化概念結合，為極大化程度研究領域帶來更深入且具理論基礎之發現。研究成果亦可作為通路或產品廠商思索產品陳列與資訊呈現方式時之參考依據，以降低顧客之主觀成本花費、提升產品資訊帶給顧客決策上的利益，提高顧客對個人整體消費過程之滿意度與所選產品之知覺價值。 / The purpose of this research is to demonstrate whether consumers’ subjective estimations of search time and product information confidence are the mediators mediating the effects of maximization tendency on consumers’ product information seeking behavior and attitude. From the perspective of information cost-benefit, the psychological mechanism will be found from this effect of personality on consumer behavior in this research. Maximization tendency was conceptualized in recent ten years to describe individual’s personality that strives for pursuing the best choice. After this concept was developed, most of the researches in this domain focused on discussing in the relationships between maximization orientation and consumers’ choice preferences such as the differences in the amount of alternatives, the aspiration to invest search time, and affective response after making decision. However seldom of them paid their attentions to the stage of product information search to probe the mechanism for the effect of maximization tendency on consumers’ searching behaviors about product information. Since the information seeking is the most important process to influence consumers’ decisions, the current study aims to explore the effects of maximization tendency on the individuals’ subjective estimations of time cost and benefit of product information. Hereby, the whole picture of the causal relationship in consumers’ information searching process would be drawn in this study. Referring to the rationales of Ratchford’s cost-benefit model, this research conducts two studies: the first part is to assess the differences in the criteria and attribute standard of consumers’ product selection with differential maximization tendencies. The second part is to conduct a 2 (the delay length of information appearance: low and high)×2 (the the dispersion of information attributes: low and high) between subject design experiments to demonstrate the mediating effect of two variables: consumers’ subjective estimation of time cost and information confidence during searching for information in the relations between maximization tendency and consumers’ information seeking behavior. The result shows the relationship between participants’ maximization orientation and their selection criteria as well as attribute demand standard exists. In general, maximizers have more complex choice criteria and higher picking standards than satisficers do when they choose the same products. The psychological mechanism is confirmed to help us understand how maximization tendency affect seeking behaviors and attitudes of product information from consumer’s product information seeking behavior and attitude. Manufacturers and store owners are suggested to apply these findings in the arrangement of alternatives and the display of product attribute information in order to reduce customers’ subjective estimation of time cost and improve their perception on information utility to, eventually, increase their satisfaction with the whole consumption experiences.

The advances in ICTs have decisively changed the library and learning environment. On the one hand, ICTs have enhanced the variety and accessibility to library collections and services to break the barriers of location and time. On the other, the e-Learning has emerged as an additional medium for imparting education in many disciplines to overcome the constraint of physical capacity associated with the traditional classroom methods. For a vast developing country like India, this provides an immense opportunity to provide even higher education to remote places besides extending the library services through networking. Thanks to the recent initiatives by the public and private institutions in this direction, a few web-based instruction courses are now running in the country. This paper reviews different aspects of e-Learning and emerging learning landscapes. It further presents the library scene and new opportunities for its participation in the e-Learning process. How these ICTs driven advances can contribute to the comprehensive learning process in India is highlighted.

Il 40 per cento degli intervistati afferma che non ha trovato informazioni esaustive sui rischi e benefici dei farmaci trovati, mentre il 52 per cento afferma che le informazioni trovate hanno aiutato a seguire le indicazioni e i consigli del medico. Tra i rispondenti che si sono sottoposti a visita medica e che hanno discusso le informazioni trovate online con il proprio medico di fiducia, l'84 per cento ha ricevuto la prescrizione di farmaci. Di questi, solo il 17 per cento riporta che il farmaco prescritto era lo stesso trovato online, il 74 per cento è stato inviato da uno specialista e l'80 per cento ha ricevuto una prescrizione per test diagnostici. Più della metà dei rispondenti ha anche riportato azioni intraprese dal medico diverse dalla prescrizione del farmaco trovato online. Il 20 per cento degli intervistati afferma che le informazioni trovate sul farmaco da prescrizione in Internet hanno ridotto il suo / la sua fiducia nel medico, mentre il 41 per cento afferma che lo ha aiutato ad avere una comunicazione migliore con il proprio medico di fiducia. Nonostante le preoccupazioni sulle conseguenze negative della comunicazione di salute online, non abbiamo riscontrato differenze in termini di effetti sulla salute tra i pazienti che hanno assunto i farmaci “menzionati” online e coloro che hanno preso altri farmaci da prescrizione. / We conducted a national online survey about health care experiences associated with digital communication of prescription drugs. 46 percent of the sample (265 adults) found information about prescription drugs during their online search in the last 12 months. 40 percent of respondents agreed they didn’t find exhaustive information about risks and benefits while 52 percent agreed it helped in following their physician’s indications and advise. Among the respondents who had a physician visit during which health information found online was discussed, 84 percent received a drug prescription with only 17 percent being the same drug found on internet, 74 percent was sent to a specialist and 80 percent received a diagnostic test prescription. More than half also reported actions taken by their physician other than prescribing the drug brand found online. 20 percent respondents states that info found on the prescription drug in Internet reduced his/her trust in the physician while 41 percent states it helped in his/her communication with physician. Despite concerns about online health communication’s negative consequences, we found no differences in health effects between patients who took “advocated”/”mentioned” drugs and those who took other prescription drugs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of academic libraries in providing services to culturally diverse student populations. In this study the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of the culturally diverse students of the Technikon Witwatersrand were analysed. The study also tried to establish whether there are differences in information needs and information-seeking behaviour of various cultural groups. The empirical investigation was conducted by means of focus group interviews and a questionnaire survey on a sample of undergraduate students of the Technikon Witwatersrand. There were assumptions that African students have limited experience in using the academic library, have no computer and information handling skills and might have language difficulties. Therefore, the expectation was that African students might have problems in the use of the academic library. However, the results of the empirical study show that English and Afrikaans speaking students are experiencing more problems than African students. / Information Science / M.Inf.

This dissertation analysed the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of visual artists. An empirical survey was conducted on a sample of the more informationliterate visual artists in South Africa. A model of the information environment of South African visual artists was developed. This model provides a basis for another model which represents the optimal service that should be rendered to meet the needs of this user group. It was found that the general information needs of South African artists are fairly adequately met, but that there are several shortfalls, especially in serving their more complex information needs. The most important problems are the lack of training in the use of information sources and services, inadequate marketing of services and inadequate coverage of South African art. It was also found that greater coordination between service providers is urgently required, especially in the provision of information about South African art. / M. (Information Science)

No description available.

Dans les pays du Nord, les étudiants disposent d’une multitude de sources numériques et imprimées ainsi que de nombreux outils de recherche pour réaliser leurs travaux universitaires. La réalité est encore toute autre dans les universités africaines, particulièrement au Burkina Faso où l’accès des étudiants à ces ressources est limité. Cette étude, première du genre en Afrique de l’Ouest francophone, veut contribuer à une meilleure compréhension du comportement dans la recherche d’information des étudiants au doctorat en médecine de l’Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo de Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Les objectifs sont les suivants : 1) identifier les sources et outils de recherche d’information utilisés par ces étudiants dans leur processus de recherche d’information et les critères qui président ces choix ; 2) identifier les personnes (professeurs, collègues étudiants, bibliothécaires, etc.) qui soutiennent ces étudiants dans leur processus de recherche d’information et comprendre quelle(s) forme(s) de soutien elles apportent ; 3) identifier les barrières auxquelles ces étudiants sont confrontés lors de leur processus de recherche d’information et décrire les moyens utilisés pour les surmonter. L’étude s’appuie sur le modèle de processus de recherche d’information (Information Search Process) de Kuhlthau (1991, 2004), enrichi au moyen des variables intervenantes du modèle de comportement informationnel de Wilson (1996). Un devis de recherche mixte est adopté. Il est composé de deux volets : 1) un volet quantitatif qui consiste en un questionnaire administré aux étudiants de l’Unité de formation et de recherche en sciences de la santé et auquel 269 étudiants ont répondu et 2) un volet qualitatif, qui consiste en des entrevues semi-dirigées réalisées auprès de 25 étudiants ayant participé au premier volet. L’analyse des données a révélé que ces étudiants en médecine utilisent plusieurs types d’outils dans leur processus de recherche d’information tout en ayant un penchant pour les moteurs de recherche Web et les bases de données en accès libre. Ces choix sont influencés par des facteurs tels que la facilité d’utilisation et l’accessibilité des outils, de même que les sources d’information auxquelles ils ont accès. Pour ce qui est du support, les sources numériques sont plus utilisées que les imprimées pour des raisons d’accessibilité, de portabilité et de facilité d’utilisation. L’analyse des données montre également que plusieurs personnes apportent leur aide aux étudiants au doctorat en médecine pendant leur processus de recherche d’information. Parmi ces personnes, on iv compte le corps professoral, les collègues étudiants, les membres de la parenté et, dans une moindre mesure, les bibliothécaires. De plus, l’analyse révèle que les « aînés » (c’est-à-dire les médecins et les étudiants des cohortes précédentes) jouent un rôle particulièrement important : ils fournissent aux étudiants des documents, souvent puisés dans leur collection personnelle, et les orientent vers des thèmes de recherche porteurs et des sources d’information pertinentes. Il est également apparu que ces étudiants font face à différents types de barrières au cours de leur processus de recherche d’information. Les freins les plus importants sont les suivants : les coûts directs pour accéder à l’information, c’est-à-dire les frais demandés pour commander des articles scientifiques (barrières économiques) ; les délestages, l’instabilité de la connexion Internet et les ressources limitées des bibliothèques universitaires (barrières environnementales) ; les contraintes de temps (barrières situationnelles) ; la rareté de la documentation scientifique médicale en langue française et rapportant des études réalisées en contexte africain (barrières liées aux caractéristiques des sources). Les résultats suggèrent par ailleurs que plusieurs n’ont pas les compétences informationnelles requises pour mener de la recherche d’information de niveau doctoral. Cependant, malgré toutes ces difficultés, les étudiants trouvent des stratégies alternatives pour surmonter ou contourner les barrières qui entravent leur accès à l’information. / In northern countries, students have access to a wide range of digital and printed sources as well as search tools to support their academic work. The situation is quite different in African universities, particularly in Burkina Faso, where students’ access to library resources remains limited. This study, the first of its kind in French-speaking West Africa, aims to contribute to a better understanding of the information-seeking behaviour of doctoral students in medicine at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The objectives are the following: 1) to identify the information sources and tools these students use in their information search process and the criteria that govern this selection; 2) to identify the persons (professors, students, librarians, etc.) who assist these students in their information search process and understand what type(s) of assistance they provide; 3) to identify the barriers these students face during their information search process, and the measures they take to overcome them. This study is based on Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process model (1991, 2004), supplemented by the intervening variables included in Wilson’s Information Behaviour model (1996). A mixed-methods design was adopted. It consisted of two phases: 1) a quantitative component consisting in a survey conducted among students of the Training and research unit in health science to which 269 students have responded, and 2) a quantitative component consisting in semi-structured in-depth interviews with 25 students, selected among respondents from phase I. Data analysis showed that these medical students use various search tools in their information search process but expressed a preference for Web search engines and open access databases. These choices are influenced by factors such as the tools’ ease of use and ease of access, as well as the information sources to which they have access. In terms of document formats, digital sources are more heavily used than printed ones, for they are easier to access, more portable and more user friendly. Data analysis also showed that several persons assist doctoral students in medicine in their information search process. Among them are faculty members, student peers, relatives, and, to a lesser extent, librarians. Additionally, the analysis revealed that “elders” (i.e., physicians and students from previous cohorts) play an especially important role: they provide students with documents, often from their own personal collection, and they orient students towards promising research topics and relevant information sources. vi The study also reveals that these students face different types of barriers in their information search process. The main barriers are direct information access costs—i.e., fees charged for ordering scientific papers (economic barriers); load sheddings, unreliable Internet connection, and limited resources of academic libraries (environmental barriers); time constraints (situational barriers); the scarcity of medical scientific information in French and reporting studies conducted in African setting (barriers related to information sources characteristics). Moreover, results suggest that many do not possess the information literacy skills needed to conduct information searching at the doctoral level. However, despite these difficulties, these students find alternative strategies to overcome or circumvent the barriers that impede information access.

MATULA, Kamil. Information Seeking in the Mobile Environment. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, Filozofická fakulta, Ústav informačních studií a knihovnictví, 2021. Ph.D. Thesis. Supervisor PhDr. et Bc. Jindra Planková, Ph.D. Abstract The dissertation thesis deals with information seeking in mobile environment using smartphone. For this purpose, a qualitative research is conducted, devided into two consecutive research activities. In the first activity are used semistructured interviews to collect the data and the grounded theory is used for data analysis. In the second activity are used methods "thinking aloud" and practical information seeking based on model scenarios. Results of the second research activity are evaluated by thematic analysis and task analysis. The findings have broadenend and deepend the state of current knowledge concerning the information seeking in the mobile environment. We consider exploration of limiting factors that affect information seeking in mobile environment as one of the most beneficial result as well as discovery of two extreme styles of information seeking in mobile environment. Keywords Information Behaviour; Information Seeking; Information Retrieval; Mobile En- vironment; Mobile Information and Communication Technologies; Qualitative Research; Semistructured Interview; Thinking...