Purpose

Literature divides information behaviours into two forms: first, interacting information with a purpose in mind and second, encountering accidently in three environments including person to person, analogue and online environment. However, the unique information encountering and encountered information keeping behaviour of social sciences research students of Asian culture in an online environment remained unexplored. Therefore, the present study is designed to investigate the research information encountering and encountered information keeping behaviour of the students of social sciences in an online environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative approach and survey technique were used for the study. The research students were approached using a multi-stage total population sampling technique. In total, 233 returned questionnaires were entered and analysed in SPSS (version 22). Descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistical techniques (t-tests, one-way ANOVA, effect sizes, correlations and regression) were applied to meet the objectives of the study.

Findings

The results of the study indicate that the respondents whether male or female, of MPhil or PhD, whichever frequency to use the Internet, often encounter research information. However, those who use the Internet for general browsing encounter more than those who purposively. This makes a change to the model of information encountering that the users encounter information while generally browsing and not only while actively working on foreground information searching. Moreover, the research students prefer to use simple tools on complex software based for keeping the encountered research information. The information if kept properly for use, may be useful in the course of research, ease its tasks and result in increasing the speed of research productivity.

Practical implications

The present study has theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically first, it fills the literature gap regarding research information encountering and its keeping and second, it came up with a proof that the researcher not only encounter research information while foreground information searching but while generally browsing also. Hence, information encountering model is equally applicable to research students who generally browse. Regarding practical implications, the study identifies that the research students prefer to keep using simple tools. Hence, information literacy instructors, either librarians or continuous education program designers are advised to incorporate instructional programs on the use of complex software-based tools for keeping information.

Originality/value

This is the first study in non-Western countries which investigated the research information encountering behaviour of social sciences MPhil and PhD students. The preferred tools to keep the encountered research information are first time identified in the literature.

中文翻译：

---

在线环境下社会科学研究生的研究信息遭遇与保持行为

目的

文献将信息行为分为两种形式：第一，以目的为中心进行信息交互；第二，在人与人，类比和在线环境这三种环境中偶然遇到。然而，在网络环境中，亚洲文化的社会科学研究学生所遇到的独特信息和所遇到的信息保持行为仍未得到开发。因此，本研究旨在调查在线环境中社会科学专业学生所遇到的研究信息和所遇到的信息保持行为。

设计/方法/方法

本研究采用定量方法和调查技术。使用多阶段总人口抽样技术与研究学生接触。总共输入了233份问卷，并在SPSS中进行了分析（第22版）。描述性（频率和百分比）和推论统计技术（t检验，单向方差分析，效应量，相关性和回归）用于满足研究目标。

发现

研究结果表明，无论是男性还是女性，无论是哲学硕士还是博士学位，无论使用互联网的频率如何，都经常会遇到研究信息。但是，使用Internet进行常规浏览的用户比那些有目的的用户遇到的更多。这改变了信息遇到的模型，即用户通常在浏览时会遇到信息，而不仅仅是在积极从事前台信息搜索时会遇到信息。此外，研究学生更喜欢在复杂软件的基础上使用简单的工具来保留遇到的研究信息。这些信息如能妥善使用，可能在研究过程中很有用，可以简化其任务并提高研究生产率。

实际影响

本研究具有理论和实践意义。从理论上讲，它填补了有关研究信息遇到及其保存的文献空白；其次，提出了一个证明，即研究人员不仅在搜索前景信息时会遇到研究信息，而且在浏览时也会遇到这种信息。因此，信息遇到模型同样适用于通常浏览的研究型学生。关于实际意义，该研究表明研究型学生更喜欢继续使用简单的工具。因此，建议图书馆员或继续教育计划设计者的信息素养教师将关于使用复杂的基于软件的工具来保存信息的指导性计划纳入其中。

创意/价值

这是在非西方国家进行的第一项研究，研究了社会科学MPhil和PhD学生遇到的研究信息的行为。文献中首次确定了保留遇到的研究信息的首选工具。