Orientador: Elizabeth Nogueira da Silva Mercuri / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T22:38:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Biase_EricaGiaretta_M.pdf: 1350819 bytes, checksum: 4fb30cdefbce9eb5133dbcb6086f35de (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: A pesquisa voltou-se para a compreensão de motivos e fatores que interferem na escolha de curso superior de graduação, a partir de um estudo de natureza bibliográfica da produção científica nacional de 1990 a 2005. O objetivo foi à identificação e análise dos principais motivos de escolha do curso de graduação presentes nos estudos e sua relação ao ano de publicação, área do conhecimento do curso e natureza administrativa das instituições a que os estudantes estão vinculados. Foram analisadas 57 publicações distribuídas entre dissertações, teses e artigos de periódicos. Constatou-se, no conjunto de dados descritos pelos autores das pesquisas, 80 termos de motivos de escolha apontados pelos estudantes pesquisados. A partir da extensão e similitude dos termos, foi possível o agrupamento de sete categorias. Cada uma dessas categorias está direcionada para um núcleo de atenção, as quais são os motivos voltados ao estudante, ao mercado de trabalho, ao outro, à profissão, aos familiares e às outras pessoas, à área do conhecimento e/ou curso e aos motivos voltados para o processo educacional. Dentre estas categorias de motivos de escolha do curso de graduação, observou-se que a categoria ¿motivos voltados ao estudante¿ apresentou uma porcentagem superior às demais (82,4%). Verificou-se também que no período estudado há uma maior incidência das categorias de motivos voltados à profissão, ao mercado de trabalho e à família. As outras categorias, que envolvem os motivos voltados ao outro, curso e ao processo educacional se mostraram menos atuantes nas decisões de escolha de curso. Em relação às associações entre motivos de escolha e as áreas do conhecimento, evidenciou-se que os resultados das pesquisas envolvendo estudantes do ensino superior das áreas de Ciências Médicas e da Saúde, e Ciências Humanas apresentaram entre si semelhanças maiores do que aos dados dos estudos com alunos do ensino médio. Na análise dos motivos de escolha presentes entre os estudantes de instituições públicas e privadas verificouse que os motivos voltados para o estudante tiveram uma porcentagem maior no setor público (69,2%), e no setor privado os motivos voltados à profissão alcançaram maior destaque (78,5%). Entretanto, estes dados apresentam diferenças quando se consideram estudantes de ensino médio e graduandos. A presença quase permanente de motivos ligados ao estudante aponta estar fortemente presente nos indivíduos a crença de que, ao fazerem suas escolhas de curso estão, dentre outros aspectos, principalmente, respondendo às suas expectativas e características pessoais. Sugere-se a realização de um maior número de estudos com alunos de instituições privadas e ampliação de pesquisas comparativas, as quais envolvem cursos de diferentes áreas do conhecimento / Abstract: The research turned toward the understanding of reasons and factors that intervene with the choice of superior course of graduation, from a study of bibliographical nature of the national scientific production of 1990 the 2005. The objective was to the identification and analysis of the main reasons of choice of the graduation course gifts in the studies and its relation to the year of publication, area of the knowledge of the course and administrative nature of the institutions the one that the students are tied. 57 publications distributed between Master¿s dissertations, Doctoral thesis and articles of periodic had been analyzed. It was evidenced, in the described data set for the authors of the research, 80 terms of reasons of choice pointed by the searched students. From the extension and similitude of the terms, the grouping of seven categories was possible. Each one of these categories is directed for an attention nucleus, which are the reasons directed to the student, to the work market, to the other, to the profession, the familiar ones and the other people, the area of the knowledge and/or course and to the reasons come back toward the educational process. Amongst these categories of reasons of choice of the graduation course, it was observed that the category "reasons directed to the student" presented a superior percentage to excessively (82,4%). It was also verified that in the studied period it has a bigger incidence of the categories of reasons directed to the profession, the market of work and the family. The other categories, that involve the reasons directed to the other, course and to the educational process if had shown operating little in the decisions of course choice. In relation to the associations between choice reasons and the areas of the knowledge, it was proven that the results of the research involving students of the superior education of the areas of Medical Sciences and the Health, and Sciences Human beings had presented between itself bigger similarities of the one than to the data of the studies with pupils of average education. In the analysis of the choice reasons gifts between the students of public and private institutions it was verified that the reasons directed toward the student had had a bigger percentage in the public sector (69,2%), and in the private sector the reasons come back to the profession had reached greater have detached (78,5%). However, these data present differences when graduating students of average education consider themselves and. The almost permanent presence of on reasons to the student points to be strong present in the individuals the belief of that, when making its choices of course are, amongst other aspects, mainly, answering to its expectations and personal characteristics. It is suggested the accomplishment of a bigger number of studies with pupils of private institutions and magnifying of comparative research, which involves courses of different areas of the knowledge / Mestrado / Psicologia Educacional / Mestre em Educação

This work is a bibliographical research, which is a systematic review without meta-analysis, performed in various national and international journals and proceedings in the International Conferences on Concept Maps (CM) aiming to analyze how the researches which make use of CM are being developed as an assessment tool to of student learning and it also establishes criteria to evaluatethem. The goal in using CM is to check students learning process regarding to the contents learned in the classroom, getting information about the concepts learned significantly, as well as those who have not been learned or learned incorrectly, making sure that these same students were able to establish connections between the new concepts and the already existing knowledge in their cognitive structure. It was observed through the analysis of the methodology of the researched articles, that there is a significant number of works, from a universe of 105, making use of CM as an assessment tool in different areas, including Physics, and with different methodologies. It was also noticeable a certain concern from the authors in establishing criteria to check/assess whether CM prepared by students achieved the desired goals. It is hoped that this research can guide teachers/researchers who intend to work with such an tool of learning assessment, which, although greatly important to education, is not widely used in the educational environment / Este trabalho é uma pesquisa bibliográfica, do tipo revisão sistemática sem metanálise, realizada em diversos periódicos nacionais e internacionais e nas atas das Conferências Internacionais sobre Mapas Conceituais (MC) com o objetivo de analisar como vêm sendo desenvolvidas as pesquisas que utilizam MC como ferramenta de avaliação da aprendizagem dos estudantes e que estabelecem critérios para avaliá-los. O objetivo de utilizar MC é verificar a aprendizagem dos alunos em relação aos conteúdos trabalhados em sala de aula, obtendo informações sobre os conceitos aprendidos de forma significativa, aqueles que não foram aprendidos e os aprendidos de forma incorreta, verificando se esses alunos conseguiram estabelecer as relações dos novos conceitos com os conhecimentos já existentes na sua estrutura cognitiva. Foi possível observar, por meio da análise da metodologia dos artigos, que há um número significativo de trabalhos, de um universo de 105, que utilizam MC como ferramenta de avaliação em diferentes áreas, dentre elas a Física, e com diversas metodologias. Foi perceptível ainda a preocupação dos autores em estabelecer critérios para verificar/avaliar se os MC elaborados pelos alunos atingiram os objetivos desejados. Espera-se que essa pesquisa possa orientar professores/pesquisadores que pretendam trabalhar com tal ferramenta de avaliação da aprendizagem, que, embora tenha grande importância para o ensino, ainda é pouco utilizada no meio educacional

This master´s thesis considers implementation of a standard of bibliographic quotation BibTeX using the XML technology. This project starts with theoretical introduction into XML technology problematics. Next part contains introduction into LATEX and its subprogram BibTEX and into its function. Later, the principle of implementation and important parts of XSL transformation (from output les *.bib. *.tex, *.html) source code will be described. Verication of functionality of the implementation is demonstrated using BibTEX database of used literature generated by XML technology.

Sociologists ask a myriad of questions about their cultural environment, the relationships which are formed within it, and the social products of human interaction. In recent decades, sociologists have begun to ask these questions of the scientific research community. They have been interested in identifying the social and intellectual connections which bring together scholars and their ideas, forming subcultures within academic disciplines. The present study, which follows this line of sociological inquiry, employs author cocitation analysis to identify the distinct subcultures which characterize the field of higher education research. The cocitation patterns among the twenty-one most highly cited researchers in the field are examined through multidimensional scaling, cluster analysis, and an analysis of the authors’ vitae which reveals the cognitive and social contexts of the authors’ citation careers. A unique temporal factor is introduced, dividing the scholars’ Careers into time periods based on the dates of their cited articles, in order to evaluate the extent to which author's cognitive interests and relationships change over time. The statistical analyses reveal that three dimensions and five clusters best characterize the author cocitation data. As a result of these quantitative analyses, and the more subjective analysis of the authors’ vitae, five subcultures are identified within the field of higher education research: Organizational Structure and Leadership in Academia, Impact of College Environment on Student Outcomes, Material and Nonmaterial Culture of Academia, Student Perceptions and Effective Teaching, and Hierarchy and Inequality in Education. The temporal analysis reveals that six of the authors move from one subculture to another at some point during their careers; these subcultural shifts are explained through examination of the authors’ changing research foci and career developments. The subcultures are compared on characteristics such as cluster stability, and the length and extent of influence of the subcultures on the larger culture of higher education. The unique contributions and the methodological limitations of this study are discussed, as are suggestions for further analysis of higher education research. Finally, the present methodology is reviewed in relation to its applicability to the exploration of other academic cultures, using several areas within sociology as illustrations. / Ph. D.

The proliferation ofinformation available in electronic format has been perpetuated by rapid technological advances. Users have a choice between print and electronic resources. At the same time, the use of these resources is determined by what is available to the users and what the users prefer. Problems that users encounter when accessing these resources determine the use of print and electronic resources. The current study evaluated the use of, and preference for, print and electronic resources by students at the University of Malawi College of Medicine. The study population comprised 179 undergraduate students. A self-administered questionnaire was used to establish the students' use of, and preference for, print and electronic resources, reasons for their preferences and the problems they encountered in accessing print and electronic resources. An interview schedule was used to elicit background information from the College Librarian on issues of budgeting, technological infrastructure, licensing and copyright agreements, archiving and library staff and training. Questionnaire results were quantitatively analysed and presented in terms of frequency tables and graphs. Interview results were analysed qualitatively. The study findings show that the students used both print and electronic resources. However, print resources were more heavily used than electronic ones. The students also preferred print resources to electronic. A lack of sufficient computers and low levels of computer and information literacy contributed to the underutilisation of electronic resources. Recommendations in terms of technological infrastructure, user training, staff training, user support and archiving were made based on the findings of the study. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu- Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

A pressão por aumento da produção agrícola, seja por abertura de novas áreas, seja por aumento de produtividade, tem um impacto direto no uso e conservação do solo. A cana-de-açúcar, por ser uma cultura híbrida- alimentar e energética, tem grande relevância estratégica e seu sistema de produção muito ligado à agroindústria. Seu sistema de produção, portanto, tem pressão direta para uma maior eficiência (indústria), mas também para mecanismos ambientalmente mais sustentáveis (sociedade). O primeiro artigo apresentado foi uma sistematização da regulamentação legal e da produção científica na área de conservação de solo no Brasil e uma análise comparativa de ambos elementos: regulamentação e ciência. O arcabouço legal brasileiro sobre a conservação de solo reconhece sua importância, mas apresenta poucas ferramentas práticas efetivas. Existem políticas de incentivos econômicos à produção em nível federal e são observadas regulamentações para a penalização de danos causados ao solo, apenas em nível estadual (4 estados). Outros 4 estados preveem sistemas de PSA. No geral, a decisão de se conservar o solo é privada, não sendo direcionada ou induzida por um regulamento (salvo exceções). A produção científica tem uma abordagem predominantemente privada, contribuindo com soluções e compreensão dos impactos internos ao sistema agrícola. Os estudos que abordam as externalidades do processo erosivo, ou que possuem o entendimento da conservação de solo como um serviço ambiental, estão em menor número quando comparados aos estudos de abordagem privada. O estabelecimento de normatização que contemple os princípios básicos do direito ambiental (precaução, responsabilidade e poluidor-pagador) e os diferentes instrumentos (comando e controle e incentivos econômicos) é um caminho promissor para a regular o uso do solo de forma sustentável. Uma produção científica oriunda de linhas de pesquisa que contemplem as externalidades do processo erosivo pode contribuir para o estabelecimento destas normas de forma mais clara, viável e efetiva. A importância de modelos para estudo da erosão vem da dificuldade de montar experimentos de mensuração de perda de solo em campo. O Fator C (RUSLE) congrega a cobertura e o manejo das culturas. Dada a variabilidade de manejo da cana-de-açúcar, buscou-se no segundo capítulo compilar e analisar trabalhos que geraram ou citaram o valor de C. Levantou-se 39 trabalhos científicos, com valores que variam de 0.0012 a 0.5800. Este intervalo resulta em uma variação de mais de 480 vezes nos valores finais de perda de solo. Uma grande lacuna de valores de Fator C para variadas condições de manejo é observada, bem como a falta de clareza e critérios no uso de valores por modeladores e pesquisadores. Neste sentido, o terceiro artigo é uma contribuição para sintetizar o conhecimento local da cultura, na forma de uma ferramenta de cálculo do Fator C para a cultura. A ferramenta permite mais de 100 milhões de combinações e está em ambiente acessível e com interface simplificada (Excel). Os valores obtidos pela ferramenta são comparáveis aos desenvolvidos em campo. A amplitude máxima e mínima (0.5922 a 0.0351) observada reafirma a importância do conhecimento completo das condições de manejo da área de estudo para sua modelagem. A ferramenta é gratuita e está disponível para pesquisadores. / The pressure for increased agricultural production, either by opening new areas or by increasing productivity, has a direct impact in the soil use and conservation. Sugarcane, because it is a hybrid food and energy crop, has great strategic relevance and its production system closely linked to agroindustry. Its production system, therefore, has direct pressure for greater efficiency (industry), but also for more environmentally sustainable mechanisms (society). The first article presented was a systematization of legal regulation and scientific production in the area of soil conservation in Brazil and a comparative analysis of both elements: regulation and science. The Brazilian legal framework on soil conservation recognizes its importance, but presents few effective practical tools. There are policies of economic incentives for production at the federal level and regulations are observed to penalize damages to the soil, only at the state level (4 states). Another 4 states provide PSA systems. In general, the decision to conserve the soil is private, not being directed or induced by a regulation (with exceptions). Scientific production has a predominantly private approach, contributing with solutions and understanding of the internal impacts to the agricultural system. Studies that address the erosion process externalities, or that have the understanding of soil conservation as an environmental service, are less numerous when compared to the private approach studies. The establishment of standardization that contemplates the basic principles of environmental law (precaution, responsibility and polluter-payer) and the different instruments (command and control and economic incentives) is a promising way to regulate the use of the soil in a sustainable way. A scientific production derived from lines of research that contemplate the externalities of the erosive process can contribute to the establishment of these norms in a clearer, viable and effective way. The importance of models for the study of erosion comes from the difficulty of assembling soil loss measurement experiments in the field. C-Factor (RUSLE) brings together the coverage and management of crops. Considering the variability of sugarcane management, the second chapter compiled and analyzed works that generated or quoted the value of C. 39 scientific works, with values ranging from 0.0012 to 0.5800 were survey. This interval results in a variation of more than 480 times in the final values of soil loss. A large gap of C-Factor values for various management conditions is observed, as well as the lack of clarity and criteria in the use of values by modelers and researchers. In this sense, the third article is a contribution to synthesize local knowledge of culture, in the form of a tool for calculating C-Factor for culture. The tool allows more than 100 million combinations and is in an accessible environment with a simplified interface (Excel). The values obtained by the tool are comparable to those developed in the field. The maximum and minimum amplitude (0.5922 to 0.0351) observed reaffirms the importance of the complete knowledge of the management conditions of the study area for its modeling. The tool is free and available to researchers.

L’encyclopédie Wikipédia se caractérise par un mode d’élaboration ouvert et collaboratif. La singularité de son modèle éditorial amène à s’interroger sur la crédibilité que lui attribuent ses lecteurs ainsi que sur l’activité normative de la communauté wikipédienne pour la garantir. Une hypothèse serait ainsi que le référencement est un moyen de renforcer la crédibilité des informations encyclopédiques, ce qui pose la question de l’identification de la fonction de ce procédé rhétorique par le lecteur. Pour appréhender les questions relatives à la valeur épistémique de l’information, un modèle de communication documentaire articulant autorité cognitive, confiance, crédibilité et référencement est proposé. Une enquête par questionnaire auprès de jeunes scolarisés (11-25 ans) montre que la confiance envers Wikipédia varie selon le niveau de scolarité. Elle est influencée par la réputation académique, majoritairement négative, de l’encyclopédie. Par la suite, les effets d’un projet pédagogique dans lequel des lycéens deviennent des contributeurs à l’encyclopédie sont analysés. Une évolution positive de la confiance envers l’encyclopédie est relevée tant chez les professeurs que chez les élèves, ceux-ci prenant conscience de l’importance des règles communautaires et du référencement. Enfin, les évolutions des règles relatives au référencement au sein de la Wikipédia en langue française et les débats que ces règles ont suscités entre 2002 et 2013 sont étudiés. L’approche anthropologique et historique adoptée met en évidence le rôle central attribué au référencement pour faire face aux problèmes de confiance épistémique rencontrés par la communauté wikipédienne. Elles révèlent également les tensions inhérentes à ce projet éditorial. / Wikipedia is an open-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Its editorial process is unique. Thus this study is focused on the users’ perception of its credibility and on the wikipedian community policy to guaranty it. One hypothesis might be that referencing is a way of guaranteeing the content's credibility which naturally leads to another question: how do the users/readers identify this rhetorical device? To approach the matter of the epistemic value of information, a documentary communication model combined with cognitive authority, trust, credibility and referencing is proposed. Firstly, a survey of 11 to 25 year-old students highlights that their trust for Wikipedia varies according to the level of studies. This level of trust is also influenced by the overall negative reputation of this encyclopedia in the academic community. Secondly we observe the effects of a project where students become editors to the encyclopedia. There is a clear improvement in the trust toward Wikipedia amongst students and teachers as they realize the importance of community policies and referencing. Finally, we analyze the changes in referencing policies and guidelines in the French Wikipedia as well as the controversies they provoked between 2002 and 2013. The historical and anthropological approach highlights how key the role of referencing to the wikipedian community is, in order to face the issues of epistemic trust. It also reveals the tensions inherent to the editorial policy of this project.

A pressão por aumento da produção agrícola, seja por abertura de novas áreas, seja por aumento de produtividade, tem um impacto direto no uso e conservação do solo. A cana-de-açúcar, por ser uma cultura híbrida- alimentar e energética, tem grande relevância estratégica e seu sistema de produção muito ligado à agroindústria. Seu sistema de produção, portanto, tem pressão direta para uma maior eficiência (indústria), mas também para mecanismos ambientalmente mais sustentáveis (sociedade). O primeiro artigo apresentado foi uma sistematização da regulamentação legal e da produção científica na área de conservação de solo no Brasil e uma análise comparativa de ambos elementos: regulamentação e ciência. O arcabouço legal brasileiro sobre a conservação de solo reconhece sua importância, mas apresenta poucas ferramentas práticas efetivas. Existem políticas de incentivos econômicos à produção em nível federal e são observadas regulamentações para a penalização de danos causados ao solo, apenas em nível estadual (4 estados). Outros 4 estados preveem sistemas de PSA. No geral, a decisão de se conservar o solo é privada, não sendo direcionada ou induzida por um regulamento (salvo exceções). A produção científica tem uma abordagem predominantemente privada, contribuindo com soluções e compreensão dos impactos internos ao sistema agrícola. Os estudos que abordam as externalidades do processo erosivo, ou que possuem o entendimento da conservação de solo como um serviço ambiental, estão em menor número quando comparados aos estudos de abordagem privada. O estabelecimento de normatização que contemple os princípios básicos do direito ambiental (precaução, responsabilidade e poluidor-pagador) e os diferentes instrumentos (comando e controle e incentivos econômicos) é um caminho promissor para a regular o uso do solo de forma sustentável. Uma produção científica oriunda de linhas de pesquisa que contemplem as externalidades do processo erosivo pode contribuir para o estabelecimento destas normas de forma mais clara, viável e efetiva. A importância de modelos para estudo da erosão vem da dificuldade de montar experimentos de mensuração de perda de solo em campo. O Fator C (RUSLE) congrega a cobertura e o manejo das culturas. Dada a variabilidade de manejo da cana-de-açúcar, buscou-se no segundo capítulo compilar e analisar trabalhos que geraram ou citaram o valor de C. Levantou-se 39 trabalhos científicos, com valores que variam de 0.0012 a 0.5800. Este intervalo resulta em uma variação de mais de 480 vezes nos valores finais de perda de solo. Uma grande lacuna de valores de Fator C para variadas condições de manejo é observada, bem como a falta de clareza e critérios no uso de valores por modeladores e pesquisadores. Neste sentido, o terceiro artigo é uma contribuição para sintetizar o conhecimento local da cultura, na forma de uma ferramenta de cálculo do Fator C para a cultura. A ferramenta permite mais de 100 milhões de combinações e está em ambiente acessível e com interface simplificada (Excel). Os valores obtidos pela ferramenta são comparáveis aos desenvolvidos em campo. A amplitude máxima e mínima (0.5922 a 0.0351) observada reafirma a importância do conhecimento completo das condições de manejo da área de estudo para sua modelagem. A ferramenta é gratuita e está disponível para pesquisadores. / The pressure for increased agricultural production, either by opening new areas or by increasing productivity, has a direct impact in the soil use and conservation. Sugarcane, because it is a hybrid food and energy crop, has great strategic relevance and its production system closely linked to agroindustry. Its production system, therefore, has direct pressure for greater efficiency (industry), but also for more environmentally sustainable mechanisms (society). The first article presented was a systematization of legal regulation and scientific production in the area of soil conservation in Brazil and a comparative analysis of both elements: regulation and science. The Brazilian legal framework on soil conservation recognizes its importance, but presents few effective practical tools. There are policies of economic incentives for production at the federal level and regulations are observed to penalize damages to the soil, only at the state level (4 states). Another 4 states provide PSA systems. In general, the decision to conserve the soil is private, not being directed or induced by a regulation (with exceptions). Scientific production has a predominantly private approach, contributing with solutions and understanding of the internal impacts to the agricultural system. Studies that address the erosion process externalities, or that have the understanding of soil conservation as an environmental service, are less numerous when compared to the private approach studies. The establishment of standardization that contemplates the basic principles of environmental law (precaution, responsibility and polluter-payer) and the different instruments (command and control and economic incentives) is a promising way to regulate the use of the soil in a sustainable way. A scientific production derived from lines of research that contemplate the externalities of the erosive process can contribute to the establishment of these norms in a clearer, viable and effective way. The importance of models for the study of erosion comes from the difficulty of assembling soil loss measurement experiments in the field. C-Factor (RUSLE) brings together the coverage and management of crops. Considering the variability of sugarcane management, the second chapter compiled and analyzed works that generated or quoted the value of C. 39 scientific works, with values ranging from 0.0012 to 0.5800 were survey. This interval results in a variation of more than 480 times in the final values of soil loss. A large gap of C-Factor values for various management conditions is observed, as well as the lack of clarity and criteria in the use of values by modelers and researchers. In this sense, the third article is a contribution to synthesize local knowledge of culture, in the form of a tool for calculating C-Factor for culture. The tool allows more than 100 million combinations and is in an accessible environment with a simplified interface (Excel). The values obtained by the tool are comparable to those developed in the field. The maximum and minimum amplitude (0.5922 to 0.0351) observed reaffirms the importance of the complete knowledge of the management conditions of the study area for its modeling. The tool is free and available to researchers.

Described as accommodating both traditional and new information spaces (Fourie 2002: 53), the Web has significantly changed the milieu of research and study. The study determined how this changing research and study environment has affected the research behaviour of students in African higher education environments, specifically at the research entry level of master's degree programmes. The study examined both explicit examples of the affect of the Web on students' citation behaviour and tacit influences that may have determined the extent of this affect. Explicit examples of the affect of the Web were drawn from analysing changes in the citation patterns of Master of Information Studies (MIS) theses during a period of access to the Web, and specifically in the years 1996, 1999 and 2002. Tacit influences on students' citation behaviour were inferred from an investigation of the level and nature of MIS supervisors' use and support of the Web for research and of a background study of the facilities, resources and services supporting student access to the Web at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Findings of this study concluded that the use of the Web medium has grown and in 2002 accounted for 17.5% of all citations included in MIS bibliographies. However use of this medium is disparate with a few bibliographies accounting for much of this growth. Findings indicated that the Web medium was mostly utilised for the delivery of sources that do not meet the traditional description of a scholarly source. The study also found that the Web was used as an alternative medium for the delivery of informal and grey literature sources without necessarily increasing the level of use of these sources. The study revealed greater support for this medium from the masters programme's supervisors than was evidenced from a citation analysis of the bibliographies of theses. Disparities in the support of this medium for research, within the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg's supporting infrastructure was also observed. Recommendations drawn from these conclusions include the need for greater intervention from teaching faculty, librarians and the institution in the provision of clear guidelines of expectations, relevant instruction and sufficient physical access at points of expertise, to effectively support the use of Web resources. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The incidence of referencing errors in research is difficult to manage due to the many types of bibliographic sources that have to be referenced. Preventing referencing errors is an essential part of bibliographic management and PBMS (Personal Bibliographic Management Systems) have been designed to manage this. To design appropriate strategies for preventing the errors, the prevalence of PBMS usage in higher education needs to be investigated. The aim of the research was to determine whether available PBMS used at institutions would address the referencing errors at a UoT (University of Technology), and to recommend a suitable PBMS for the institution. The main research instruments used to gather data consisted of questionnaires, interviews and a head-to-head comparison of five PBMS programs EndNote, ReferenceManager, ProCite, Biblioscape and B3. Researchers in the Faculty of Business were selected because they highlighted the difficulties with referencing errors. Questionnaires were sent to 10 researchers to investigate their awareness of PBMS, the kinds of bibliographic sources they use and the frequency that they reference the sources. A questionnaire, sent to eight libraries in the country ascertained their use of PBMS and whether PBMS reduced referencing errors. These libraries provided a representative sample of the use of PBMS at both historically “White” and “Black” institutions. A questionnaire to editors of journals and an online database investigated the incidence of referencing errors in academic publications and measures to prevent the errors. An interview with a vendor of PBMS revealed the extent of PBMS sales to higher education institutions and the capabilities of the PBMS. A head-to-head comparison, using selected criteria relevant to the study, was done of the five PBMS. The response rate on the questionnaires was 100%. Researchers indicated that they were not aware of PBMS, and were therefore not using any. In higher education, the majority of the libraries used PBMS, and these libraries reported that PBMS had reduced referencing errors. Editors responded that papers submitted for publication do contain referencing errors, but that adherence measures such as peer reviews, referencing guidelines and academic accreditation prevented referencing errors in published research. Data from all the research instruments led to the recommendation of using a combination of two PBMS programs at the UoT. The study has shown that there are software programs available to reduce referencing errors in research at the UoT, through the use of PBMS.