E-journals: their use, value and impact
This report takes in-depth look at how researchers in the UK use electronic journals, the value they bring to universities and research institutions and the contribution they make to research productivity, quality and outcomes.
Journal publishers began to provide online access to full-text scholarly articles in the late 1990s, triggering a revolution in the scholarly communications process. A very high proportion of journal articles are now available online – 96 per cent of journal titles in science, technology and medicine, and 86 per cent of titles in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
It’s clear that e-journals have given researchers an unprecedented level and convenience of access to knowledge in scholarly articles, but what effect have they had on the ways in which researchers seek information? Do they provide good value for money to higher education libraries and what are the wider benefits for universities and research institutions?
Our report examines how researchers interact with journal websites and whether enhanced access to journal articles has led to greater productivity, research quality and other outcomes. It finds that researchers are savvy when it comes to using e-journals, finding the information they need quickly and efficiently, and that higher spending on e-journals is linked to better research outcomes.
Based on an analysis of log files from journal websites and data from libraries in ten universities and research institutions, our report starts to build a clear picture of how e-journals are shaping the information landscape – a picture that we’ll add to as our research in this area continues.
The full report, a short briefing document and CIBER’s working papers are available below.
Hard copies of the report and briefing are available, email catherine.gray@rin.ac.uk
Follow-up activities
The RIN held an event on 1 July 2009 in London to discuss the report and to spark the debate on the issues raised and to inform phase 2 of the study, which is currently underway by CIBER. Phase 2 will build on the findings of phase 1, with a second round of surveys and quantitative analysis. The project is due for completion in Spring 2010.
