Introduction: The success of research work is measured by the publication of its results in reputable scholarly publications, particularly international scholarly journals, and by the citation rates of the works published. Keeping track of scientific achievements and their dissemination are essential elements of research work and of the scientific information and communication system. The primary aim of this doctoral thesis is to examine the connection between the publication of scientific research results and the use of scientific literature accessible through the Slovenian academic consortiums. Methods: Focusing on the research activity at the University of Primorska, the research involved several stages. At the first stage, the statistical use of ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and WileyOnline was analysed for the period 2010-2014. The list and number of scholarly journals accessible in ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and WileyOnline were surveyed and compared to the list and number of the journals used in ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and WileyOnline in the same period. The second stage examined the scholarly papers published in the same period by University of Primorska researchers in Web of Science and Scopus, focusing on the scholarly journals in which the papers were published and on the content of the citations included in the papers by University of Primorska researchers. A rough estimate of the quality of the journals is indicated by their quartile placement. The results were compared to the results yielded by the analysis of the use of ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and WileyOnline. The third stage involved a questionnaire about the use and purpose of the use of electronic information resources. The invitation to participate was extended to all University of Primorska researchers who were registered in the Slovenian Research Agency database of research and development actors on a given day. The questionnaire included the further invitation to participate in an interview, which contained inquiries about the subjects of the questionnaire. All participants were assured of their anonymity. Results: The results have shown that the increased use of electronic information resources has been accompanied by an increase in the number of published scholarly papers, especially since 2012, when remote access was provided for the University of Primorska researchers. The share of scholarly papers published in the first quartile rose each year, from 18.0% in 2011 to 31.5% in 2014. A gradual annual increase has likewise been noted in the share of ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and WileyOnline scholarly journals cited by the University of Primorska researchers in their scholarly papers: their share increased from 13.5% in 2010 to as much as 24.8% in 2014. The questionnaire was answered by 25.7% (108) of the 419 researchers invited. The structure of the participants was comparable to that of the University of Primorska staff in all fields except for biotechnology and technology. It has been found that 86.6% of the participants publish their work in international peer-reviewed scholarly journals, while a quarter (24.7%) publish it through open access journals. Less than two thirds (59.8%) use e-journals daily or several times a week, while over a half (51.9%) use printed books. Less than a third (30.8%) use ScienceDirect on a daily basis, and more than a fifth (22%) use SpringerLink and JSTOR. For the last five years, a slight positive correlation has been proved between the frequency of printed book use and the number of published scholarly papers: the researchers who are more active in international peer-reviewed scholarly journals use databases as information resources more frequently than those not active in international peer-reviewed scholarly journals (p = 0.024). There is a correlation between the field of research and the use of electronic information resources: ScienceDirect (p = 0.026), SAGE (p = 0.002), Emerald (p = 0.015), EBSCOhost (p < 0.001), and JSTOR (p = 0.031). ScienceDirect is more frequently used by researchers in the natural sciences and other fields not pertaining to the social sciences or humanities. Natural science researchers are less frequent users of SAGE, Emerald, and EBSCOhost, while JSTOR is favoured by humanities researchers. Discussion: All four research hypotheses have been confirmed. Hypothesis that the increasing use of electronic information resources was matched by a growing number of scholarly publications was confirmed. The number of scholarly papers published in 2013 and 2014 increased by 40% and 34% respectively, compared with the previous years. A connection has been established between the most widely used electronic resources and the scholarly journals in which researchers publish. The researchers publishing in reputable scholarly journals are more frequent users of the electronic information resources. The five-year period analysed in the thesis saw an annual increase in the use of electronic information resources, as well as in the share of papers from the consortium scholarly journals which were cited in the University of Primorska researchers' papers. Moreover, the five-year period reveals differences between disciplines in publishing scholarly papers: the highest number of scholarly papers published in the first quartile journals was from the fields of medicine, the natural sciences, and mathematics. Conclusions: As research work is vitally interlinked with the exchange of scientific information, it can begin only when adequate information resources have been made available. The citation rate of the resources employed is a useful tool for (co)funders, providing feedback on the usefulness of the information resources funded through the years. Therefore the results of our research may serve as important evaluation aids in funding scholarly literature publishing at public institutions. Moreover, they represent arguments in negotiations for a more flexible publishers' business model in providing information resources through purchasing consortiums. Rather than the publishers' profit alone, the consortiums should consider the researchers' needs.
|
