INTRODUCTION

Doctoral studies offer a unique phase in the development and legitimization of researchers, in which PhD students shift from the consumption to the production of knowledge. If librarians are to support this process in an evidence-based manner, it is essential to understand the distinct practices of this population. While literature exists concerning the information behavior of graduate students and researchers, there is little work which focuses specifically on the information literacies of PhD students within the health sciences.

AIM

The aim of this project was: 1) to establish the depth and breadth of evidence describing the information literacies of PhD students within the health sciences, and 2) to explore how Jönköping University Library can support the PhD students and their supervisors at the Research School of Health and Welfare.

METHOD

The project aims suggested a mixed method approach. In order to examine the concept of information literacies among PhD students, a scoping review was performed [1]. General trends within the literature were mapped based on the extraction of the following data: geographic location, population, academic discipline, and method of investigation. To better understand the information practices at our health sciences research school, we interviewed both PhD students and their supervisors. These open-ended interviews were conducted and analyzed according to a hermeneutic dialectic process [2], resulting in synthesized constructions of the study participants’ experiences.

RESULTS

Our scoping review revealed that many studies fail to treat doctoral studies as a unique process. The result is that PhD students in the health sciences are underrepresented as a distinct group within the recent literature. We are currently performing a critical analysis of the few studies that focus specifically on health science PhD students. Later this year, we expect to present a discussion of these results as well as the findings from interviews at our own health sciences research school.

CONCLUSION

This project highlights the need for more primary research on the information literacies of PhD students in the health sciences.

REFERENCES 1. Arksey H, O'Malley L. Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 2005 2005/02/01;8(1):19-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616.