How does the world google the Internet, anxiety and happiness?

This paper investigates how the world uses Google, the most popular search engine, to look for information about the “Internet” as well as two symptoms of emotional well-being, namely, “anxiety” and “happiness.” Data corresponding to 202 countries were collected for a period of five years from 2013 to 2017 using Google Trends, a free surveillance tool that reports data from the search engine. The search volume of “Internet” was positively correlated with that of “anxiety” as well as “happiness.” Furthermore, the paper analysed if the search volumes correlated with actual emotional well-being measured using the World Happiness Index provided by the United Nations (UN), and the Life Satisfaction Index provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The search volume of “anxiety” showed positive correlations with both the indices. The results are discussed, and new directions for future research are identified

Seeking relational information sources in the digital age: a study into information source preferences amongst family and friends of those with dementia

Despite an increasing number of sources providing information and advice about dementia, those living with the condition feel inadequately informed. The reasons for this remain unclear. This study has three aims: to identify where people with dementia and their carers currently access dementia-related information from; to determine how accessible, credible and comprehensible people with dementia and their carers consider the available sources of information; and to determine how people with dementia and their carers would like to receive information. An online or postal survey was completed by 171 female and 41 male participants with a close family member or friend with dementia. Accessibility above quality held the greatest influence over an individual’s use of an information source. Participants preferred relational sources such as healthcare professionals as these were able to give individualised information, yet these were poorly accessible and lacked dementia specific knowledge. Therefore, individuals used non-relational sources such as the internet. However, increased use of the internet was linked to feeling overwhelmed by information. It was not the end result of the information search but the effort taken to reach the information that influenced participant’s perception of information gathering. Future research should look at ways of designing and providing accessible information sources that act and feel like relational contact

Conceptualizing information need in context

Journal has a creative commons license: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

An investigation into the information-seeking behaviour of professionals, working within the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in Ireland.

Purpose: This research aimed to investigate the information-seeking behaviour (ISB) and information needs of different professional groups within the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in the Republic of Ireland (i.e. for what purpose information is acquired), the information sources professional groups use (including in-house documentation, regulations, industry guidelines, standards and colleagues) and the factors, which influence professional groups' choice of information sources. Furthermore, the research explored the perceived level of support that exists towards knowledge and information sharing. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative non-experimental research design, comprising of a self-completion survey questionnaire, was used to examine a number of information-seeking variables: information triggers, information sources and source influencers as well as information sharing enablers. It was related to four professional tasks: process technology/process development, regulatory support and quality/compliance support and engineering. Findings: The research provides new insights into the ISB of pharmaceutical professionals working within a highly regulated and high-performance production environment, including a greater understanding of the context in which professional groups experience information needs. The levels of agreement observed in relation to employees' perception of information-sharing enablers indicated an overall positive level of information sharing. Research limitations/implications: The study points to largely echoed previous findings which suggest that individual work role associated tasks prompt particular information needs. Further to this, work role associated tasks have a bearing on information source selection. Pharmaceutical professionals engaged in positive levels of information and knowledge sharing, relying on procedures, other colleagues and internal documentation as information sources. The participants also indicated a high level of agreement in respect to the value of available subject matter experts as information-sharing enablers. Practical implications: Organisations should aim to create opportunities for adequate time to share information and organisational structures, facilitating an overall organisational culture of sharing. A focus on information sharing through forums, seminars, meetings and working groups could enhance information sharing, through the development of communities of practice. Social implications: Pharmaceutical professionals relied on trustworthiness and quality as professional' top information source-influencing factors. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that working within a high-performance, target-driven and time-constrained production environment brings a particular contextual impact, where frequent urgent information triggers are experienced. These contextual factors warrant further investigation. Originality/value: A paucity of information exists with respect to the ISB of professionals, working within the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, which is a sector known for its high level of information use and production. This paper offered an original empirical investigation of the ISB of professionals, working within the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in the Republic of Ireland, focussing on key professional tasks. The research also addressed the level of support available for knowledge and information sharing

Unveiling the Subjective Perception of Health Information Sources: A Three-Dimensional Source Taxonomy Based on Similarity Judgements

Although there is a multitude of taxonomies of health information sources, these taxonomies only partly include how information users classify these sources. The present paper complements this research by developing a taxonomy which is based on individuals' subjective perceptions of the “universe” of health information sources. In our study, nine non-redundant sources of health information were presented to N = 150 participants who rated all 36 possible combinations of source pairs regarding their perceived similarity. Results of non-metric multidimensional scaling suggested three basic dimensions underlying the similarity ratings: “expertise” (lay vs. professional), “interaction” (interpersonal vs. impersonal), and “accessibility” (low vs. high). Thus, the wide array of health information sources can be structured by means of the new taxonomy arranging them on three dimensions. This allows researchers to classify each source and with this, to draw on common ground when interpreting the varying use of health information sources

A Model for Collaborative Relationships In The Digital Humanities

This paper presents a Digital Humanities Collaborative Research Model, describing key linkages between four communities in digital humanities (DH): humanities scholars, data scientists, library/information services, and administrators. The model arises from literature review and original research. Original data was collected via interviews with seven humanities scholars from five institutions. Each participant is a well-known scholar experienced in DH research methods. Interviews evaluate challenges faced by DH scholars in these areas: data access, computational methods, library support services, publication incentives, and collaboration between scholars and other experts. Interview data was analyzed using grounded theory. Key findings: (1) DH scholarship depends on expert human collaboration within the DH ecosystem, especially between scholars and data scientists, as well as scholars and library/information specialists; (2) computational tools enhance, rather than substitute for, human collaboration; (3) publications incentives should be shared among the three major players in DH: humanities experts, data science experts, and information seeking experts.Master of Science in Information Scienc

Le rôle du besoin d'information dans la sélection des source chez les jeunes chercheurs d'information : étude sur la qualité et l'accessibilité

Le rôle du besoin d'information au cœur du processus de recherche informationnelle, ainsi que la diversité de ses formes et la pluralité de ses visées, ont été maintes fois démontrés pour les adultes mais également concernant les plus jeunes. Le but de toute recherche est de satisfaire un besoin, de combler le manque ressenti et formulé vis-à-vis de l'information et au final réduire le mal-être physique et cognitif dans lequel se trouve l'individu. L'enquête Shall I Google it or ask the competent villain down the hall ? The moderating role of information need in information source selection, menée par Lu et Yuan, parue en 2011 dans le journal américain JASIST, met en avant la rationalité des hommes par l'évocation et l'application du principe de "satisfaisance" lors d'une recherche documentaire. Ainsi, le niveau perçu du besoin d'information est déterminant dans la sélection des sources, et plus précisément sur les critères que sont la qualité et l'accessibilité. Néanmoins, cette étude scientifique ne s'intéresse qu'au comportement informationnel des adultes. Nous allons reprendre les conclusions de cet article et démontrer si elles sont applicables pour les jeunes. En d'autres termes, le besoin d'information exprimé par les plus jeunes influence-t-il la sélection des sources lors d'une activité de recherche