Running Head: INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS Lortie 1

The Information Seeking Behaviors in Students of Higher Education

John Lortie

LIS 60613

August 17, 2016

INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS Lortie 2

Introduction

The author of this literature review is a student of higher education who is currently enrolled in
Kent State Universitys School of Library and Information Sciences (LIS) online graduate program. As
college student his interests lie in discovering the information seeking behaviors of other college students,
be they undergraduate or graduate; taking physical classes on a collegiate campus or in a non-traditional,
distance learning environment; United States-based students or taking classes in a foreign country;
enrolled in a LIS program or not. Regardless of the educational setting, the author feels as though there is
much to be learned about the behaviors such higher education students exhibit throughout the information
seeking process as well as how they can be better served as they embark on their own research.
To better understand these behaviors and how they can be met, this literature review will discuss
and examine ten original studies found within academic journals in the LIS field. The timeliness of these
studies further substantiate the concept that researchers still have much to learn regarding the information
seeking behaviors of college students; all provided resources are very recent, with the oldest study being
discusses published in 2012. This appears to evidence a trend in LIS literature to further examine and
understand the information seeking behaviors of students of higher education. If there was not an interest
in or something to be gained from knowing how this group of individuals approach the process of
information seeking, than, feasibly, there would not be would be no research that takes this topic into
account.
Apart from timeliness, all discussed studies have a wide range of scope. Some examine students
in colleges and universities found within the United States of America while other are concerned with the
information seeking behaviors of students in countries abroad, such as Israel, Canada, Malaysia, or the
United Kingdom. By examining the information seeking behaviors of students in such a wide radius of
global reasons, one is able to extrapolate similarities from the behaviors these students exhibit.
Furthermore, this review also takes different college concentrations into account. Not all students
examined in these studies were pursuing graduate degrees, and not all students were in similar programs;
for example, one specific study examined LIS students while another is concerned with students seeking a
degree in the field of music education.
At the heart of this literature review, however, is the desire to better understand how college
students seek information. In accordance with this desire, the studies discussed herein can be further
divided. Apart from the kind of research each employs (qualitative versus quantitative), there are studies
among those listed here that focus on students in a physical higher education setting and how they use the
resources provided by their institutions, such as academic libraries, to satisfy their information needs.
Others consider how the internet factors into students information seeking behavior. Two of these studies
showcase a particular interest in the roles social media play in students information seeking.
Despite all these seemingly disparaging studies, the intent of this literature review is clear: to
examine, discuss, and achieve a better understanding of the information seeking behaviors of students
within higher education institutions. In order to present the discussed studies in a logical and cohesive
manner, this review will group them together based upon the following overarching topics they consider:
education level and the format of students discussed (physical, on-campus or online, distance-learners).
While breaking this review into these sections signifies that there will be inherent overlapsome studies
will be discussed numerous times within different sections, while not all sections will discuss all
studiesit also ensures that only the relevant information from each study will be discussed under the
pertinent section. In doing so, the author of this study hopes that its readers will come to a greater level of
understanding of the information seeking behaviors of college students.

Education Level

As stated previously, one possible way to examine the studies considered within this literature
review is by taking into account the education level of the students they discuss. While, with some of the
provided studies, one could further divide this section into the degree level the students are pursuing (i.e.
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bachelors, masters, or doctorate) or the year each student has reached for that degree (a first year
bachelors student, for example), this review will not do so. This is because, due to the inherent
similarities that will become evident through the discussion of the studied students, it is unnecessary to
further subdivide the given levels of academic attainment. Having said that, there are definite, differing
trends in information seeking behavior that make themselves known through the examination of these two
levels of educational achievement. The end of this section will feature a brief discussion that considers
these.

Graduate Students

Of the ten studies being discussed within this literature review, four specifically set out to study
the information seeking behaviors of graduate-level students. These studies are works authored by: Clark
(2014), Liyana and Noorhidawati (2014), Orlu (2016), and Sloan and McPhee (2013). Other studies
reviewed within this assignment, notably those by Bornstein (2014), Denison and Montgomery (2012),
and Tury, Robinson, and Bawden (2015), also considered graduate students within their research.
However, these latter three studies also took undergraduate students into account and make no
differentiation between the two groups when their findings were presented. Due to this, these three studies
will not be discussed within this section.
By examining studies that look specifically at graduate students, one is able to discern the
information seeking behaviors they showcase simply due to their level of education. Clark (2014)
authored a study that set out to study the information seeking behaviors in graduate students at Kent State
University, intending to discover, amongst other topics, the ways in which the studied students ask for
assistance during the information seeking process. Through a survey distributed to the studys subjects,
Clark discovered that of the research assistance offered to students through Kent State Universitys
University Libraries, the one with the highest number of acknowledgement is the students ability to
email librarians. However, this service was only known to just over half of the surveys respondents; 56
percent of respondents knew emailing a librarian was a possibility, and only 15 percent of respondents
had utilized this service (Clark, 2014). This study revealed that graduate students generally do not know
about the variety of information resources they have at their disposal and, in the event that they do know
about research services such as access to information professionals, they rarely utilize them.
Liyana and Noorhidawaits (2014) also focused on the information seeking behaviors of graduate
college students, specifically how the studied subjects consider the reliability of information sources.
Through the authors research, they discovered that many graduate students trust in their ability to
accurately formulate a search query by identifying and combining keywords that divulge search results
relevant to the information being sought. Strikingly, however, 90 percent of the surveyed students
frequently utilize internet search engines such as Google as their primary information resource. Although
this number may be frightening to some, the research indicates that, when students do not feel their
information needs are adequately met through their initial search, none of the graduate students studied
take no action. In fact, over 85 percent turn to another resource, and over 58 percent consult information
professionals (Liyana & Noorhidawaiti, 2014). The amount of students found in this study who turn to
information professionals seems to be in juxtaposition to Clarks study discussed immediately above.
This can be due to factors that will be discussed later in this review. Regardless, Liyana and
Noorhidawaiti found that graduate students are discerning, even if not immediately so, in the information
they discover.
Orlu (2016) discovered that while the information seeking process of graduate students is one of
organization, there is also element of randomness to be found within the process that is located during the
planning stages of research. The author arrived at this conclusion through the examination of answers
given through an interview of 13 graduate students. The interview results indicated that students feel
uncertainty, which leads to randomness, in the beginning stages of research due to unfamiliarity with the
subject. Once they become more acquainted with the material, their search strategies organized and
systematic. The interviews also revealed that the majority of students seek professional assistance
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throughout the course of their research, and 10 of the 13 interviewees regularly require continuing support
form professionals during the information seeking process (Orlu, 2016). The studys findings seem to
corroborate the results provided by Liyana and Noorhidawaiti. Perhaps graduate students initially turn to
basic online search engines out of the element of randomness that arises from a lack of familiarity with
the research topic. Orlus findings also align with Liyana and Noorhidawaitis in the idea that graduate
students do, in fact, seek professional assistance during the information seeking process.
Sloan and McPhee (2013) wrote the final graduate student-oriented study that will be discussed
within this section. In this study, the authors set out to determine the ways in which academic librarians
can better aid graduate students. Throughout the course of their study, Slona and McPhee conducted
interviews with 33 graduate students, although one interview as forfeited due to difficulties the authors
faced during the transcription process. These interviews revealed ways in which graduate students go
about seeking information, specifically that students pursuing a masters degree are more likely to call
upon librarian assistance while endeavoring to complete the research process. In light of this, the authors
also discovered that, even though this portion of graduate students were more likely to seek librarian
assistance, the interviewed graduate students all seemed unfamiliar with the exact kinds of assistance that
their universitys librarians were able to provide to them. As such, the authors propose a brief university
course to introduce new graduate students to the library and the service it offers (Sloan & McPhee, 2013).
This study is of value to this literature review due to the fact that it serves to underline all of the studies
discussed within this subsection. It highlights that, although graduate students are likely to seek
professional assistance when conducting research, they are not fully aware of the ways in which librarians
are able to offer help.
Through this discussion of the four studies that deal only with graduate-level college students, the
following themes emerge: graduate students are discerning researchers who usually embark upon the
research process without outside assistance from information professionals. However, this independence
is likely due to a lack of knowledge in either how to inquire about assistance or the kind of assistance
academic librarians are able to provide. The next portion of this section will examine the information
seeking behaviors of undergraduate students in institutions of higher education. With this provided
background on the behaviors of graduate students, one will more easily be able to see both the divergence
and similarities between the information seeking behaviors exhibited by these two groups.

Undergraduate Students

Apart from the three studies described in the beginning of the previous subsection, which are not
being discussed in the education level section of this literature review due to their research of both
graduate and undergraduate students, the three other studies considered for this review focus solely on the
information seeking process utilized by undergraduate students. These are studies by Kim and Sin (2016),
Kim, Sin, and Tsai (2014), and Komissarov and Murray (2016), and the will be discussed here in order
just listed. Through the discussion of this article, one will have a greater understanding of the information
seeking behaviors of undergraduate students.
Kim and Sin (2016) conducted their study as a method of explaining the role social media plays
in influencing the information seeking behaviors of undergraduate college students through the
examination of how these students employ these media during the information seeking process, as well as
how the students evaluate the information obtained from social media with the context of an institution of
higher education. The research methodology the authors employed as a means of gathering the
information they then analyzed and discussed was an online survey that was sent to participants located
within a large academic institution via an email list. In total, the researchers obtained 1355 responses from
undergraduate students. The results of this study indicated that undergraduate students, when they turn to
social media to have their information-related needs met, mainly focus on wikis, online forums (due to the
quickness with which replies to a posting may be obtained), and blog among others. Furthermore,
undergraduate students tend to rely upon the reactions of their peers to inform their view of information.
Lastly, and importantly, the authors note that these students also focus on the surface characteristics of
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information they find through social mediathey seek quick and easy answers that look reliable due to
length of statements and quality of attachments, such as pictures (Kim & Sin, 2016). In light of this study,
here is what one can generalize about the research behaviors of undergraduate student: While they can be
discerning in the information they unearth. Instead of seeking quality information, they would rather use a
information source that looks as though it contains reliable data, whether or not that is actually the quality
of the data it contains.
The second study that describes the information seeking behaviors of undergraduate students
feature two of the authors from the one just discussed. In Individual Differences in Social Media Use for
Information Seeking, Kim, Sin, and Tsai (2014), set out to determine the social media platforms that
undergraduate students utilize as sources for information, and why these specific platforms were chosen.
To obtain the data used for their study, the authors used an email list from a public university to invite
undergraduate students to participate in a voluntary, online study. While the authors received 845
responses to their survey, only 809 of the respondents completed the survey in its entirety. As such, the
authors only examined these completed surveys within their study. The results of the distributed survey
indicated that the students do, in fact, use different forms of social media for different information
seeking purposes: They turn to review sites to discern what their peers think of a subject. Social
networking services supply information regarding current events. The students often turn to wiki websites
(such as Wikipedia) knowing that they are not fully trusted resources. However, students largely use these
sites to better understand the background information regarding a concept or to delve into the references
that supply the information for the wiki page. The authors found that, although undergraduates do turn to
blogs in order to meet their information need, although a relatively small number (34 percent) are likely to
do so (Kim, Sin, & Tsai, 2014). This study provides further explanation for the previously discussed
study by Kim and Sin. While the prior study was more concerned with the number of students seeking
information through social media, this study is a further explanation of why they turn to social media
outlets for this process. While they do use unreliable sources, such as Wikipedia, undergraduates often do
so with noble intentionswhether to better understand the foundations of an idea or to use article
references as a starting point for their own research.
Komissarov and Murray (2016) conducted the final study concerning the information needs of
undergraduate students that this literature review will discuss. Unlike the previous two studies discussed
within this subsection, which focused on how undergraduates utilize social media platforms within their
information seeking process, the authors of this study set out with the main intention of better
understanding the information seeking behaviors of undergraduate college students. In accordance with
this, the specifically desired to examine the following three behaviors: how undergraduates go about
finding information sources, the kinds of information resources they utilize, and what they value about the
information resources they select. In the conduction of their research, the authors administered an
electronic questionnaire to undergraduates at one university. Although a total of 542 students returned the
survey to the studys authors, not every survey was completed. Due to this, the authors were able to
utilize the data compiled from all the surveys but not all pieces of analyzed data includes information
from the total number 542 respondents. Through their research the authors discovered that the majority of
students being the information seeking process either in their universitys library or through a database
provided by the library. Only one percent of respondents indicated being the research process at an online
wiki, such as Wikipedia. However, Google.com was ranked higher than Google Scholar as an information
seeking starting point. The research indicated that the three aspects undergraduates most value in
information resources are: relevancy to their research topic, the ability to access full-text articles, and if
the information provided by each resource is easily understood. The authors concluded that students
access different information resources based upon how the resources align with the information values of
the students (Komissarov & Murray, 2016). This study furthers ones understanding of undergraduate
students information seeking behaviors by showcasing not only the resources to which they turn but also
what they value about each of those resources. However, this study contradicts the one discussed
immediately before it because it indicates that many undergraduates do not employ Wikipedia as a
starting point for the information seeking process.
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The three studies discussed within this subsection reveal a number of parcels of information in
regards to the information seeking behaviors of undergraduate college students. Among these are the
following: undergraduates are drawn to information that is easily obtained and understood, they trust the
input of their peers when seeking information, and, although they have good intentions when conducting
research, they can be misguided in the ways in which the look for information regarding research. At this
point in the literature review, it clear that graduate and undergraduate students approach the information
seeking process different. Next, this review will discuss the ways in which each behavior is manifested
within these two groups.

Discussion

How do the information seeking behaviors exhibited by graduate students in institutions of higher
education differ from those exhibited by their undergraduate counterparts? The consideration of this
query directly led to the inclusion of this concept within the literature review. The seven studies discussed
above each highlight various aspects that are found within the information seeking behaviors of each
group. Graduate students are discerning information seekers who are independent in the sense that they do
not always have knowledge of how to acquire assistance during the information seeking process (Liyana
& Noorhidawaiti, 2014; Sloan & McPhee, 2013). Although they may face struggles during the initial
steps of the information seeking process, they are careful to choose information that comes from reliable
sources (Orlu, 2016). Undergraduate students, on the other hand, are not as independent as their graduate
peersthey trust in and value the input of like-minded individuals online (Kim, Sin, & Tsai, 2014).
Furthermore, undergraduate students are more likely to seek out information that is quickly and easily
accessible and simple to understand (Kim & Sin, 2016; Komissarov & Murray, 2016). Taken separately,
it appears as though these two different levels of collegiate students do not share commonalities in
information seeking behaviors.
That lack of commonalities, however, is an inaccurate observation. This is because there is one
underlying commonality to be found in all levels of educational attainment within students of higher
education. This is the fact that they are discerning in the information they find. Although Kim and Sins
(2016) article indicates that undergraduate students value the surface characteristics of information (such
as presentation), the authors previous study (co-written with Tsai in 2014) indicated that undergraduates
utilize unreliable resources to understand basic information about a topic. Komissarov and Murray (2016)
further illustrated this ability to critically consider information sources by providing evidence that shows
undergraduate students first seek information through library-provided services. Orlu (2016) illustrated
that graduate students experience an element of uncertainty in which they use unreliable sources to test
the waters of information. However, after finding their way through these unreliable sources, graduate
students turn to more reliable information streams (Orlu, 2016). This mirrors undergraduates tendency to
seeking background information on Wikipedia, as illustrated by Kim, Sin, and Tsai (2014).
To reiterate, although there are noticeable differences between the information seeking behaviors
of graduate and undergraduate colleges students both groups do share one important common behavior:
the tendency to seek out information from reliable sources. While, they may utilize different methods to
arrive at these sources, the important aspect is that, one way or another, reliable information is a key
factor in the information seeking process of students enrolled in higher education institutions. This
literature review will next consider the ways in which the format of a student (i.e. one that attends
physical classes versus on participating in an online-only environment) may influence that students
information seeking behaviors.

Format of Students

The next context of students that this literature review will discuss in order to provide a more
thorough understanding of the universal information seeking behaviors exemplified by students of higher
education is that of the formats of these students. While not every study to be discussed within this
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section make it abundantly clear the format of the students considered by the author(s), context clues
within the study make the considered format evident. As such, this review will present eight of the studies
as ones that examine the information seeking behaviors of traditional students: those who attend physical
college courses on a physical college campus. However, it will be noted if the study being examined does
not clearly state that its subjects are traditional college students. Of the eight studies considering such
students, two were not discussed within the previous section of this review. The second subsection for
this context of student information seeking behaviors, which discusses the behaviors associated with
distance-learningstudents who participate in online courses and who may not be located near the
physical campus of the institution that provides these coursesfeatures two studies that explicitly state
such students were used during the author(s)s research. Furthermore, one of these two studies has not
been previously discussed. After presenting relevant information about the information seeking behaviors
of traditional and online students, this section will close with a discussion in which these behaviors will
be compared and contrasted.

Physical College Students

As stated above, eight of the studies considered within this literature review deal with college
students who participate in physical, on-campus course offerings. These studies are authored by the
following: Bronstein (2014), Denison and Montgomery (2012), Kim and Sin (2016), Kim, Sin, and Tsai
(2014), Komissarov and Murray (2016), Liyanna and Noorhidawati (2014), Orlu (2016), and Sloan and
McPhee (2013). The studies composed by these researchers will be presented and discussed here, with a
focus on the format of students they consider and the information seeking behaviors these students
exemplify. Through the discussion of these studies, behavioral themes common to traditional college
students will be illustrated.
Bronsteins (2014) study was largely concerned with the ways in which college students enrolled
in an LIS program view their self-efficacy during the information seeking process. Although not
explicitly stated within the study, and although the survey upon which the study was based was
distributed to the LIS students via email, there is no evidence within the study that suggests it was offered
to students of an online-based learning program. The survey the author employed set to measure the
degree of students self-efficacy by examining the following four topics: How the students view their
mastery of information seeking, how the students compare their information seeking behaviors to that of
their peers, how the students view their capability of finding desired information, and how the students
interpret the ways in which the information seeking process makes them feel emotionally. The survey
received responses from 205 LIS students, all at differing levels of educational attainment. The results of
the administered survey indicate that the studied students all have believe themselves to showcase high
self-efficacy during the information seeking process. However, the studys author noted that this could be
due to the fact that 100 percent of the students surveyed were enrolled in an LIS program, about may have
a deeper knowledge of the information seeking process than non-LIS students (Bronstein, 2014).
Furthermore, through the discussion of her study, Bronstein (2014) found reason to believe the following
statement may be true: the social environment of participants affect their emotions regarding their
self-efficacy perceptions (p. 104). Regardless of whether the field of study in which this group of
students was enrolled, Bronsteins study indicates that a social environment where peers have the ability
to interact with each other during the information seeking process may lead to a higher sense of self-
efficacy during this process.
Denison and Montgomery (2012), much like Bronstein, desired to research the ways in which
college students view the process through which, and the behaviors exhibited when, they seek to meet
their information needs. This study also does not explicitly state that it only considered traditional,
physical students. However, the facts that both authors work for the same university and that the students
needed to by physically present to complete the study provide strong contextual evidence for this idea.
The authors conducted a study that asked 20 college students, with differing majors and degree
aspirations, about the ways they, the students, seek information needed to complete a research
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assignment. The students were tasked with using this question as a driving force as they ranked
statements provided by the studys authors. Upon reviewing their findings, the authors discovered that
each student fit into one of three categories: Experienced Critiquers, Technology Admirers, and Extrinsic
Motivators (Denison & Montgomery, 2012). Experienced Critiquers, the authors posit, are students who
carefully contemplate a research project before beginning to collect need information. They also are able
to judge reliability of a specific piece of information. Technology Admirers are students who know how
to find reliable information would rather utilize data that is easy to locate and comprehend. Extrinsic
Motivators, the final group the study posed, are mainly concerned with completing a research assignment.
However, while they do use easy to find information in order to understand a topics background, they are
discerning about the reliability of information (Denison & Montgomery, 2012). What does the study have
to teach about the information seeking behaviors of physical college students? Through the examination
of this study, one discovers that information seeking behaviors are driven by the motivations of individual
students. The authors conclude the study with the suggestion of providing all students with library
instruction on how to efficiently and effectively look for information (Denison & Montgomery, 2012).
This is a way to ensure the information seeking capabilities of on-campus college students, regardless of
the group in which each student finds himself.
Kim and Sin (2016), whose study has been previously discussed, also highlight the information
seeking behaviors of on-campus college students. Although the study does not explicitly state that it was
conducted within a physical university setting, it does say that the authors studied students within a
public universitya research university with over 25,000 undergraduate students (Kim & Sin, 2016, p.
76). As will be seen in the next subsection, the two studies examined within this literature review
explicitly state that online students were the group studiedthis distinction is important in the drawn
conclusions. The current study, nor any of the remaining studies considered by this subsection, makes no
mention of the students being part of an online learning program. All remaining studies within this
subsection are assumed to be based upon on-campus students because there is no evidence to the contrary.
Kim and Sin conducted an email-based survey of 1355 students of higher education. Through this survey,
the authors discovered that these students are motivated by both ease of information access and their
peers reactions to pieces of information (Kim & Sin, 2016). Both the conclusions found through this
study mirror those found by the other studies discussed by this section thus far. This suggests that
physical, on-campus collegiate students are driven by the desire to find information easily and are shaped
by the opinions of their peers. One hypothesizes that, due to the close proximity these students have to
each other as they work and study, this reliance upon the social considerations surrounding information
seeking is a factor that weighs heavily within the information seeking behaviors exhibited by such
students. Further studies discussed herein provide support for this suggestion.
Kim, Sin, and Tsais (2014) study provides similar conclusions to the study authored only by Kim
and Sin. As discussed within the previous section of this review, with this study the authors set out not
only to determine which social media platforms students employ for information seeking methods, but
also the reasons why students choose the specific platforms they utilize. The authors sent out an mass-
email to students attending a single university asking those students to participate in a voluntary study by
means of a survey. The survey yielded 845 responses. However, the authors discovered that only 809
students responded to all survey questions. As such, the conclusions of their research were formed from
only the 809 fully-answered surveys. Through their research, the authors found that who use unreliable
information sources, such as Wikipedia, do so in order to build a contextual understanding of a subject.
They also: use social networking websites to quickly find information about current events and websites
that feature user reviews and comments to better understand the opinions of their peers (Kim, Sin, & Tsai,
2014). All knowledge of on-campus college students information seeking behaviors obtained from the
study fits perfectly within the review of literature that has been conducted thus far. It shows that students
who attend physical college classes desire easy access to information (as illustrated by students turning to
social networking websites for news on current events). Furthermore, this study helps to cement the idea
that the information seeking behaviors of traditional, physical higher education students are driven by the
INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS Lortie 9

interactions the students have with their peers (see, for example, their use of review sites to better
understand a topic).
Komissarov and Murray (2016) study illuminates further concepts. As mentioned previously, the
authors of this study sought to further understand the information seeking behaviors of college students.
To increase the communal knowledge of the subject, the authors specifically examined how the following
three concepts are related to students information seeking behaviors: how they discover sources of
infromation, what these information sources are, and the aspects of these sources that are valued by
students. In order to research these concepts, the studys authors administered an electronic questionnaire
to what is assumed to be on-campus college students within one specific university. The survey received a
total of 542 responses, all of which were utilized for the purposes of the study. The examination of these
responses led the authors to conclusions in relation to their research goals. Students largely conduct
research through resources provided in or by their universitys library. Collegiate students also seek a
range of aspects in the information resources to which they are drawn, including: perceived relevance in
relation to students research, access to full-text, scholarly articles, and ease of understanding in terms of
the accessible information, among others. In relation to the driving research question of how students
access information, the authors concluded that students specifically seek out resources that align with
their values and research goals (Komissarov & Murray, 2016). From this study, one can see that on-
campus college students are driven by their research, much like Experienced Critiquers discussed by
Denison and Montgomery (2012). Furthermore, the study indicates that ready access to resources
provided by an academic library, such as textbooks and other materials related to the research at hand, is a
motivating factor for students who attended classes on a physical college campus.
Liyanna and Noorhidawati (2014) also discussed, within their study, the information seeking
behaviors of college students, as well as the ways in which they consider whether or not a specific
resources provides reliable information and the self-efficacy of their process. Through their research,
which was conducted through a survey that garnered a total of 140 responses that the authors were able to
examine within their study, the authors discovered that students enrolled within institutions of higher
education have faith in their ability to adequately formulate research questions. However, the authors also
discovered that 90 percent of surveyed students turn to non-academic resources, such as Google, as their
initial means of obtaining information. The study further indicates that, if students are unable to discover
adequate information through such means, they employ other research techniques. An example of such a
technique is turning to an information professional for assistance, which is a step taken by 58 percent of
surveyed students (Liyanna & Noorhidawati, 2014). Presumably, it is easier for students to come to
information professionals for assistance on a college campus, where students can visit an academic library
and meet with a librarian in person. Overall, this study paints physical college students as individuals with
a high sense of self-efficacy, although their actual information seeking behaviors are wanting. However,
due to easy library access, these students are able to seek professional assistance without issue.
Orlus (2016) study is another that has been discussed previously within this literature review.
The findings presented within it mirror those discussed by Liyanna and Noorhidawati. Orlu (2016)
conducted interviews with 13 college students. The fact that these interviews, all with students enrolled in
the same university, took place within a physical capacity, indicate that all 13 students are participants in
a traditional, on-campus collegiate experience. Through the conducted interviews, the author found that
students tend to experience an element of uncertainty at the beginning of the information seeking process
as they attempt to familiarize themselves with the topic of their research. After this uncertainty is
navigated, the students process of information seeking becomes more streamlined. The interviews also
divulged that many on-campus university students receive assistance from information professional, with
10 interviewees indicating that they receive assistance from academics such as professors or librarians
(Orlu, 2016). Not only does this study present evidence that continues to support the conclusions drawn
by Liyanna and Noohidawati, it also serves to enforce the importance of social activities on traditional
college students information seeking behaviors. This is because seeking professional assistance for an
informational matter seems to be a social interaction, where ideas are exchanged between one person and
another.
INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS Lortie 10

Sloan and McPhees (2013) study is that last to be discussed within this subsection. As stated
under the first context examined by this literature review, the authors desired to conceptualize a way that
academic librarians could be of greater assistance to college students. After examining a total of 32
interviewswhich, being advertised on campus bulletin boards, leads one to believe that the students
interviewed attend classes on a physical college campusthe authors found that students are likely to ask
librarians for aid during the information seeking process. However, the examined interviews also
divulged that, even though students are likely to turn to librarians for assistance, they are not always
knowledgeable about ways these information professionals are able provide aid during the research
process. From this conclusion, the authors proposed that universities offer courses that are designed to
familiarize student with academic libraries, academic librarians, and the kinds of assistance students can
find through these entities (Sloan & McPhee, 2013). This study supports the information found through
analysis of many others within this subsection. Collegiate students enrolled in a program that requires
them to be on campus have information seeking behaviors that are influenced through social interactions
with others, be they fellow students or information professionals.
The eight studies discussed within this portion of the literature review provide numerous insights
on the information seeking behaviors that students of higher education operating on physical college
campuses exhibit. Not only are these behaviors influenced by the interaction with others, peers or
professionals, but they are perceived to be effective by the students who are undergoing the information
seeking process. Regardless of the actual effectiveness of these behaviors, social interactions, especially
those with an academic librarian, are able to improve them. Next, this literature will discuss studies that
focused on distance-learning college students and what information about information seeking behaviors
they present.

Distance-Learning Students

The final two students that this literature review will examine deal exclusively with student who
participate in online collegiate programs. These studies, written by Clark (2014) and Tury, Robinson, and
Bawden (2015) serve to provide insight into the information seeking behaviors of students enrolled in
non-traditional, online post-secondary and graduate programs. After presenting the information that can
be found within these studies, this section of the literature review will conclude with a discussion of the
similarities and differences found within the behaviors exhibited by students of both considered formats.
Clarks (2014) study, Information-Seeking Behavior and Library Use by Distance Education
Graduate Music Education Students, discussed previously, examined the information seeking behaviors
of students in an online college program. The data presented within the study was drawn from survey
distributed to students via three different emails sent out throughout the span of a month. The survey,
which obtained 82 usable responses, found numerous insights into the information seeking behaviors of
students of online courses. Perhaps the biggest of these insights is that only 56 percent of the surveyed
student knew that they were able to reach to out their universitys librarians for information seeking
assistance. Furthermore, only 15 percent of the studys subjects had ever reached out to these
professionals for aid during their research (Clark, 2014). This article indicates that students enrolled in
online collegiate programs operate with a greater sense of independence than their peers within a physical
college setting.
To expound upon this conclusion, Tury, Robinson, and Bawden (2015) also exclusively
examined college students within online courses. For this study, the authors distributed both online and
print surveys to students around the world. These students were from differing academic backgrounds and
differing levels of education. The one thing all subjects had in common was that they were distance
learner participating in an online collegiate program. In total, the authors obtained a return of 92
completed surveys, which accounted for less than 20 percent of the total questionnaires distributed.
Regardless of the scarcity of results, the authors were able to extrapolate conclusions from the collected
data. In terms of the information needs of such students, the authors determined that the majority of
online students seek information for solely academic purposes, whether to prepare for examinations or to
INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS Lortie 11

complete research assignments. The collected data also indicated that students largely use required course
textbooks and free online resources and that online university libraries are utilized by just over half of the
surveyed students. In fact, the presented research shows that less than half of online students feel as
though their information needs are met by online libraries (Tury, Robinson, & Bawden, 2015). This study
furthers the findings discussed within Clarks studyit shows that online college students are
independent. However, it also indicates that they are not independent by choice, but by a lack of
understanding of how to use library resources.
In summation, these two studies present the idea that online students act independently while
undergoing the information seeking process. However, they both also communicate a concept that says
that, although this independence serves the online students, it also stems from a fundamental lack of
knowledge of approaching information professionals about assistance. Next, this literature review will
examine the differences and similarities these two formats of students (traditional on-campus and online
distance learners) and how they help shape ones understanding of the information seeking behaviors
showcased by all higher education students.

Discussion

Through this examination of literature that takes into account the format of the studied students,
one as able to draw conclusions about the information seeking behaviors inherent to each, and how these
behaviors can be compared and contrasted. Students participating in courses in a traditional, campus-
oriented environment showcase information seeking behaviors that cannot be attributed to their peers in
online-only collegiate programs. Take, for example, the social behaviors that can be attributed to the
former group. The majority of the studies that discussed this group considered how on-campus students of
higher education are affected by social factors when seeking information. Bronstein (2014) found that
interaction with other increased students self-efficacy. Kim and Sin (2016) found evidence that supported
the idea that reactions from peers shape how students participating in physical courses perceive
information. The social factors that influence the information seeking behaviors of physical college
students do not appear to hold sway over students enrolled in online classes. In fact, the studies discussed
above indicate that these are independent in the ways the seek information. They do not typically reach
out to information professionals for assistance, even on the occasions when they understand that they
have the ability to do so (Clark, 2014; Tury, Robinson, & Bawden, 2015).
However, although there are differences that are found in the information seeking behaviors of
these two grouping of college students, there are similarities. Tury, Robinson, and Bawden (2015) found
that distance-learning students look for resources that allow them to finish their assignments quickly and
easily. The Technology Admirers and Extrinsic Motivators discussed by Denison and Montgomery
(2012) also showcase a similar desire to fast access to easily understood information. Furthermore, many
studies indicate that, regardless of how efficient students believe their information seeking process to be,
librarians would do well to provide all students with details on what students can expect to find within
library databases and the kinds of assistance their academic librarians are able to provide. Through doing
this, libraries can take a step towards ensuring that all students of higher education are equipped with
quality and efficient information seeking behaviors (Denison & Montgomery, 2012; Sloan & McPhee,
2013; Tury, Robinson, & Bawden, 2015).
Although the two groups discussed within this section of examination are dissimilar in many
ways, there also commonalities to be found within their information seeking behaviors. Chief among
these commonalities is the desire to find information relevant to their interests with efficiency and the
idea that the information seeking behaviors of all students enrolled within institutions of higher education
can be improved with better communication about what academic libraries have to offer the students they
exist to serve. The final portion of this literature review, its conclusion, will discuss the way that these
commonalities as well as those found between graduate and undergraduate collegiate students combine to
showcase the core information seeking behaviors of students of colleges and universities. Doing so will
provide an idea of how this topic can be further investigated in future studies.
INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS Lortie 12

Conclusion

Having provided a review of the current literature that discusses the information seeking
behaviors exhibited by students of higher education, this literature review has now arrived at its
conclusion. This final section will provide a brief discussion what the provided literature can teach
researchers about these behaviors and how they are shown within all collegiate students. In doing so, a
general evaluation of the discussed literature will also be provided. Finally, this assignment will
ultimately conclude with a suggestion for future research hoping to discover more about the information
seeking behaviors that influence students in a higher education setting.
From the discussions that were provided within the two main sections preceding this conclusion,
one sees that the following two information seeking behaviors can be found in all collegiate students: they
strive to find accurate sources of information, but they also desire to find information quickly and easily.
Kim, Sin, and Tsai (2016) and Orlu (2014) found that all students turn to unreliable information
sourcessuch as Wikipedia or search engines like Googleto equip themselves with an understanding
of a topics background. Once this has been achieved, as discussed by Liyanna and Noorhidawati (2014),
all students turn to more reliable streams of informationsuch as information professionals. In terms of
the second identified information seeking behavior exhibited universally by college students, Denison and
Montgomery (2012) Tury, Robinson, and Bawden (2015) present strong evidence that indicates that
students desire to quickly and effectively discover information relevant to their needs. These two ideas are
not in juxtaposition. In fact, through the implementation many of these studies have suggested of working
with students so they have a greater knowledge of what academic libraries are able to provide themsee
Denison and Montgomery (2012), Sloan and McPhee (2013), and Tury, Robinson, and Bawden (2015)
students in programs of higher education will be better equipped to find accurate information more easily.
As mentioned in the introduction to this review, all considered studies are recent works of
original research. Collectively, the research considers college students of all education levels from around
the world. The two main methods employed by these studies were surveys and interviews. Although each
study set out to provide a deeper understanding of a particular topic related to the information seeking
behaviors, when taken together, they provide the two common behaviors listed previously. The
conclusions drawn from each study rely heavily on the strong evidence collected by the researchers.
Considering this, the effective means of collecting this data, and the timeliness of the topics (which
include social media usage), one is able to see that all present studies are well founded and well executed.
This does not imply, however, that improvements could be made to future studies that seek to
better explain the information seeking behaviors of students within a collegiate setting. One suggestion
for future research for such studies is to provide clear distinctions between the levels of educational
attainment achieved by their subjects. Three of the ten studies discussed within this review were omitted
from the first section due to this lack of distinction. By providing such a distinction, a sole study would be
able to clearly draw conclusions about the similarities and differences in the information seeking
behaviors of students in different levels of education from the examination of its authors own research.
Regardless, the studies at hand did an acceptable job of presenting their discovered behaviors.
INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS Lortie 13

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