How do scientists select articles in the PubMed database? An empirical study of criteria and strategies

International audienceIntroductionThe present study investigated the strategies used by experienced researchers to find articles in an online bibliographic database.ObjectiveThe goal was to shed light on researchers’ actual search behaviour by empirically observing users during the search process.MethodWe asked 16 neuroscience researchers and 16 researchers in other disciplines of life sciences to perform five search tasks on neuroscience topics using the PubMed database. Think-aloud protocols were recorded while the participants performed the search tasks.ResultsAll researchers managed to find adequate references for the tasks in the limited amount of time allocated. Most participants used similar, very basic moves and tactics to perform the tasks. However, they behaved in many different ways when they had to decide whether to read the retrieved results or to modify their query (according to the number of references they obtained), or when selecting the one or two references they finally gave as answers among all possible answers.DiscussionVariability in participants’ behaviour may result from inter-individual differences in either the participants’ mental models of PubMed or cognitive abilities and styles, but the question requires further investigation. The data further suggest that developers of online search engines and databases should concentrate their efforts on improving simple-search interfaces and helping users to correct search errors in real time

Exploration de la tâche de recherche et de consultation de vidéos dans un dispositif audiovisuel académique en ligne

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Teaching Fourth and Fifth Graders to Evaluate Information Sources During Text Comprehension

International audienceIn two experiments, we examined fourth and fifth graders' comprehension of the source of information in texts presenting controversial issues. In Experiment 1, participants read short texts in which two people presented different arguments regarding an issue. Participants identified who said what and evaluated each source's knowledge of the issue. Most students correctly identified the source of information but failed to take into account each source's characteristics when determining who was most knowledgeable. In Experiment 2, we implemented an intervention on students' evaluations of information sources. Less skilled students in the intervention group assessed source knowledge more accurately than those in a control group. We conclude that elementary school students' comprehension of who says what in a text can benefit from training sessions that involve practice, feedback, explanations, and discussions. We consider the implications for document-based learning in elementary and secondary education

Children’s Acquisition of Text Search Strategies: The Role of Task Models and Relevance Processes

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¿Son los usuarios frecuentes de las redes sociales evaluadores competentes? Un estudio de las habilidades de los adolescentes para identificar, evaluar y hacer uso de las fuentes

International audienceAre frequent users of social network sites good information evaluators? An investigation of adolescents' sourcing abilities (¿Son los usuarios frecuentes de las redes sociales evaluadores competentes? Un estudio de las habilidades de los adolescentes para identificar, evaluar y hacer uso de las fuentes). Infancia y Aprendizaje / Journal for the Study of Education and Development, 43(1), 101-138.Rouet (2019): Are frequent users of social network sites good information evaluators? An investigation of adolescents' sourcing abilities / ¿Son los usuarios frecuentes de las redes sociales evaluadores competentes? Un estudio de las habilidades de los adolescentes para identificar, evaluar y hacer uso de las fuentes, Infancia y Aprendizaje