Scholarly apps: enhancing research mobility and accessibility

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore how scholarly apps are changing the landscape of academic research by increasing mobility, accessibility and user engagement. It assesses the role of mobile-based applications in supporting research activities, enabling access to scholarly content and facilitating seamless communication between researchers and libraries. Design/methodology/approach A brief content analysis of prominent scholarly apps was performed to evaluate their prime features and usability. Findings Scholarly apps improve research mobility by offering on-the-go access to academic resources, databases, communication tools, personalized content recommendations and integrated automated citation tools. The integration of AI and machine learning into these apps holds potential for further personalizing and streamlining research processes. Research limitations/implications Although certain discussed mobile apps are well known and frequently used by users, their value in the field of mobile technology remains significant. Despite their vast popularity, these apps continue to play a significant part in the mobile app ecosystem due to their proven efficacy, widespread acceptance and continuous relevance in meeting user demands. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to comprehensively evaluate the scholarly apps and contributes to the literature on mobile-based library services.