Awareness and Use of Online Journals among Postgraduate Students in Select Nigerian Universities

Abstract

Online journals are considered beneficial to researchers across the globe, however, research into awareness and use of online journals has been largely overshadowed by the whole gamut of electronic resources such as e-books, e-theses, and other electronic materials. Previous research in Nigeria has dwelt largely on the entirety of electronic resources, this study, specifically looked at online journals as a single component amongst other electronic resources. The objective of this study is to determine the awareness and use of online journals among postgraduate students in Nigeria. The survey revealed a mixed picture in terms of awareness and use of Open Access (OA) online journals and subscription based online journals. Among other findings, the study found that use is still a major challenge, which is rooted in a lack of awareness. This article contributes to the growing body of literature on the potentials of online journals (OA and subscription based), for the developing world in two ways: it provides information about online journals adoption in Nigeria, where little research has been done thus far, and it provides information about the practices of postgraduate students in public universities, a population area where little research has been done.