Information Behavior of Education Researchers in the Digital Environment An analytical study of information resources used in education PhD theses at Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University

Abstract

With the increasing value of information and the transformation of modern society to what is called “information or knowledge society”, information behavior has become an important research area. As such, this topic has become an area of interest to researchers in different fields, particularly with the rapid developments in digital technologies and with the widespread of the Internet and electronic information resources which have added new dimensions to how people interact with information resources and services.

This study was undertaken to examine information behavior in education PhD theses conducted at the College of Social Sciences in Imam Mohammed bin Saud University after the introduction of Internet connection in Saudi Arabia in late 1999. The main goal of the study is to find out about the information resources used in these theses including electronic resources, and the changes, if any, to the use of these resources.  Using citation analysis methodology, 13645 citations found in the references of 84 theses completed between 1421 – 1434 AH (2000 – 2013) were analyzed and discussed, and a number of findings and recommendations were made which could be of value to researchers and information professionals in the field.