Exploring doctoral student researchers' use and adoption of research information management systems

Abstract

Doctoral student researchers' adoption and utilization of research information management systems (RIMS) were examined through a survey of 231 doctoral students at U.S. universities classified as having very high research activity. Doctoral student researchers primarily use RIMS to discover papers, including obtaining papers, finding papers, obtaining citations, and verifying citations. They also use RIMS to network and advance their professional career and engage in scholarly discourse. This study highlights significant differences in how RIMS are perceived and utilized based on the students' level of extraversion, publication count, and RIMS usage frequency. The findings suggest that introverted doctoral students with fewer publications perceive greater benefits from RIMS, particularly for tasks like networking and engaging with their academic communities. Extraverted students with more publications tend to engage less frequently with RIMS and perceive fewer advantages, raising important questions about whether current RIMS designs adequately support different doctoral student groups.