How French research scientists are making use of electronic journals: a case study conducted at Pierre et Marie Curie University and Denis Diderot University

Abstract

There have been few studies to date on how French research scientists are using electronic journals in their work. Under a national programme for document digitisation in higher education and research, a qualitative study was conducted at the Jussieu Campus in Paris among 25 researchers and doctoral students and nine documentalists. The main disciplines covered were physics, chemistry and biology, with some representatives from mathematics, computer science and earth sciences. A user typology was built up, and several of the findings agree substantially with those in the (mainly Anglo-Saxon) literature, which demonstrate the importance of factors such as the discipline concerned and the immediate working environment of researchers, including equipment, local practice, and the resources that are promoted or made available. Other more subjective factors also need to be taken into account.