Investigating the Development of a Research Portal as Part of an Academic Library Website for Scholarly Communication Guidance in a Public University in Ghana

Abstract

This article discusses the benefits of having a research portal as part of an academic library website to enhance trainings in scholarly communication by the academic library. The article seeks to educate academic librarians and library stakeholders on the contents of a research portal for scholarly communication guidance to doctoral students irrespective of their year of study. It also seeks to address the gap in literature on research portals as part of academic library websites for library user trainings on scholarly communication using Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) as the case study. The study used web-based questionnaires for data collection from KNUST doctoral students and doctoral supervisors as well as through interviews with the dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Senior ICT Assistant in the Library system, professional librarians and the two deputy librarians within the KNUST library system. The study established that a research portal is a one-stop shop containing all the guidance on the ethics and specifics in conducting a research study and disseminating research findings. The article recommends that academic libraries in Ghana should consider research portals as part of the library website for scholarly communication guidance.