Usage of E-resources in Postgraduate Research at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences: A Citation Analysis

Abstract

A citation analysis was conducted to examine the use of e-resources in postgraduate research at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Tanzania. A total of 549 masters dissertations produced between 2002 and 2011 were examined. Collected data were analysed in Microsoft Excel. The findings indicate that a total of 30,405 references were extracted giving an average of 55.4 references per dissertation. References to print journal articles accounted for 70% of the total references. E-resources made up only 5.2% of the total references and citations to e-journals were even fewer (0.3%). The highest citation to e-resources was recorded in 2008 and there were no e-journal citations for the years 2002 and 2004. In general, the number of e-journal citations has remained very low during the ten years period. The findings therefore paint a picture that eresources were underutilized by postgraduates at MUHAS. However, there is possibility that some of the journal articles cited were retrieved from CD-ROMs databases or retrieved from the web but they were cited as print sources due to lack of skills in using correct citation styles. It could also be that students incorrectly cite secondary references. It is recommended that universities should intensify provision of information literacy programmes (including the use of various citation styles) for students and staff as well as promoting the use of e-resources. Future research may combine citation analysis and other methods to establish reasons for the low usage of e-resources.

Keywords: citation analysis, bibliometrics, dissertations, e-resources, Tanzania