Use of Digital Resources by Scientists: A quantitative survey

Abstract

This study investigates the awareness, use, perceived research benefits and challenges of digital resources among scientists of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), and examines whether gender, age and education shape these patterns. A quantitative survey design was adopted. A structured questionnaire was administered to scientists, engineers and technologists of PCSIR, Lahore. The sample size of 246 was determined through Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table from a population of 681, and 202 usable responses were received (response rate 82.1%). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the independent samples t-test and Pearson correlation. Respondents reported moderate-to-high awareness of digital resources, highest for electronic theses and dissertations (M = 4.02) and lowest for online databases (M = 3.59). Use was high: scientists relied more on digital than printed materials (M = 4.50) and regarded PCSIR’s digital resources as meeting their research needs (M = 4.47). Saving time in literature reviews (M = 4.36) and faster research through online journals (M = 4.35) were the leading benefits, whereas low internet connectivity (M = 4.45), restricted access to certain databases (M = 4.30) and difficulty locating information in repositories (M = 4.28) were the major challenges. Male scientists perceived significantly greater benefits (p = .012) and greater challenges (p = .001) than female scientists. Age correlated positively with awareness, perceived benefits and library visits, whereas education showed no significant relationship with any variable. The results call for improved network infrastructure, wider and more stable database subscriptions, better discovery tools for institutional repositories, and structured, discipline-specific digital literacy training for scientists at PCSIR and comparable research organizations. Most studies on electronic resource use in Pakistan concern university students and faculty. This study provides empirical evidence from a national scientific and industrial research organization, a population that has received little attention in the literature.