Informatics Publishing Limited

Navkiran Kaur ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Library and Science, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, IN

Abstract

Health information literacy (HIL) is essential for seeking preventive health, appropriate management of disease and improving the well-being of citizens as a whole. Health information literacy empowers the stakeholders with cognitive and social skills to gain access to, understand, evaluate, and use information to make good health decisions. The present study was undertaken to learn about the awareness and attitude of medical college librarians toward health information literacy; to know about the medical college librarians’ perceptions of HIL promotion strategies; and to identify barriers to health information literacy. The librarians from 10 medical colleges and institutes from Punjab and Chandigarh were chosen as sample for this study. A structured questionnaire was designed and administered among librarians. The findings of the study are discussed and suggestions are also provided to strengthen HIL in medical college community.

Keywords

Health Information Literacy, Medical College Librarians, HIL Promotion Strategies, Barriers to HIL.

Full Text

     

Khushpreet Singh Brar ¹, Navkiran Kaur ², Amandeep Kaur ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Library and Information Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh, IN
2 Department of Library and Information Science, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, IN

Abstract

The present study is a precise attempt to be acquainted with the awareness among researches of library and information science (LIS). While discussing the research plan, the present study presents an empirical approach to recognise the selected patterns. To conduct a methodological study, total 120 respondents, formally affiliated to the subject of LIS, have been taken into consideration. The awareness, access, and use of e-journals among researchers of LIS have been examined. The collected data are critically analysed and graphically represented.

Keywords

E-Journals, LIS Researchers.

Full Text

     

Navkiran Kaur ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Library and Information Science, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, IN

Abstract

Health information literacy (HIL) is essential for health information professionals but studies reveal that many medical students do not have adequate competencies that are essential for searching, evaluating and accessing pertinent information. This study is an attempt to explore the HIL skills of medical students in Punjab and Chandigarh. A structured questionnaire was designed and data were collected from 126 students of 10 medical colleges and institutes in Punjab and Chandigarh. The results of this study reveal that updating knowledge, personal health needs, evidence-based practice and solving patients’ health-related issues are major reasons for seeking health information. Majority of the students use the Internet, medical books and handbooks. MedlinePlus, WebMD, eMedicine, Mayo Clinic and PubMed Central are used by students, but majority of them confessed that they don’t know enough and want to know more about these databases. Keyword/simple search is mostly preferred by students and the accessibility and availability of the sources are the main sources selection criteria. Key barriers to access health information are lack of time, awareness, infrastructure, poor Internet connectivity, information overload, and lack of library support and trained staff. The study concludes with a few recommendations for improving HIL skills of medical students.

Keywords

Health Information Literacy Skills, Health Information Resources and Services, Medical Students HIL Awareness, Information Search Strategies, Information Evaluation Criteria, Patient Health Infor.

Full Text

     

Navkiran Kaur ¹, D. K. Kocher ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab, IN

Abstract

Aedes aegypti L., is a serious global threat to human health as a vector for spreading several deadly diseases. Plant extracts provide an efficient and ecofriendly alternate to manage this menace. The sublethal concentrations i.e. 50 and 60 ppm of nanoemulsified eucalyptus oil evaluated against 4th instar (L4) Ae. aegypti larvae resulted in 16.67± 1.67 and 8.33± 1.67% larval survival followed by a significant delay in duration of various developmental stages and decrease in % pupal formation and their survival. Thus, decline in % emergence along with significant reduced body size and longevity were observed in comparison to control and vehicle-control emerged adults. These results reveal the potential of such nanoemulsified oils to be used as phytochemical agents for the sustainable control of Ae. aegypti.

Keywords

Aedes aegypti, eucalyptus oil, nanoemulsified oil, plant extracts, larvae, emergence, development, duration, pupae, aberrations, survival, mosquito control

Full Text

   

Subhajit Panda ¹, Navkiran Kaur ²

Affiliations
1 Assistant Librarian, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Gharuan – 140413, Punjab, IN
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, Punjabi University, Patiala – 147002, Punjab, IN

Abstract

Over the last few decades, scholarly communication is changing with the use of social media serving as an effective medium. Several new factors have emerged in the context of social media activity to accelerate the shift. The current research relied on the ResearchGate platform, an Academic Social Networking Site (ASNS), meant for scientists and scholars enabling them to share, communicate, collaborate, connect and get updated with the feeds and scholarly information. The study focused on the top 15 cited Indian researchers and their research performance on ResearchGate. The research data was collected manually and analysed using several altmetric parameters available on ResearchGate to evaluate the performance of the targeted researchers. For statistical correlation analysis, the researcher relied on JASP statistical analysis software (v. 0.16.0.0). The study findings reveal that Sujit K Bhattacharya has the maximum citations (17210) among Indian researchers on ResearchGate, accompanied by the maximum number of publications (505), the highest value of h-index (70) and Research Interests (8991). The majority of the contributions from the targeted researchers are research articles (71.95%) and 49.10% are available in full text. Researcher S G Deshmukh has asked the maximum number of questions (22), and also provide a significant number of answers (314). The publications of researcher K. M. Singh (Res. 15) received a maximum number of Read (529397), and recommendations (3179). The RG Score of S G Deshmukh is the highest (57.00) among all of the targeted researchers. Pearson’s Correlations Test among five interconnected variables calculated that among 7 different types of correlation formation, “Citations - Res. Int.” (0.920), “Publications - Res. Int.” (0.865), “RG Score - Res. Int.” (0.773), and “Publications - RG Score” (0.765) pairs possess highly positive correlation linkage. The core context of this study is helpful for the representation of India in terms of top-cited researchers and their research performance on ResearchGate. The study also promotes young researchers to disseminate their research over such ASNS platforms to increase visibility and research impact.

Keywords

Academic Scholarly Networking Sites, Altmetrics, ResearchGate, Research Impact, Scholarly Communication, Top Cited Indian Researchers.

Full Text