information behavior

How to cite this article: Jamali, H. R. and Nicholas, D. (2008), "Information-seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers", Aslib Proceedings, 60, (5), 444-462.
Article DOI: 10.1108/00012530810908184

Information-seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers
Hamid R. Jamali
CIBER, Department of Educational Technology, Faculty of Psychology and
Education, Tarbiat Moallem University, No 49, Mofateh Ave, P.O.Box: 15614,
Tehran, Iran
h.jamali at gmail.com

David Nicholas
CIBER, School of Library, Archive and Information Studies, University College
London, Henry Morley Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Abstract
Purpose – The study examines two aspects of information seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers including methods applied for keeping up-to-date and methods used for finding articles. The relationship between academic status and research field of users with their information seeking behaviour was investigated.
Methodology/approach – Data were gathered using a questionnaire survey of PhD students and staff of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College
London; 114 people (47.1 per cent response rate) participated in the survey.
Findings – The study reveals differences among subfields of physics and astronomy in terms of information-seeking behaviour, highlights the need for and the value of looking at narrower subject communities within disciplines for a deeper understanding of the information behaviour of scientists.
Originality/value – The study is the first study to deeply investigate intradisciplinary dissimilarities of information-seeking behaviour of scientists in a discipline. It is also an up-to-date account of information seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers.
Keywords – Physics, Astronomy, Information-seeking behaviour, User studies,
Information behaviour
Paper Type – Research paper

Introduction
How do scientists really discover, select and use the countless information

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