Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
The study aimed at investigating the level of knowledge and awareness of reference management software among teaching faculties at the University of Zambia. With an increased emphasis on research and publications in higher education institutions, using these tools can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of the citation process. Despite the availability of these tools, the academic community at the University of Zambia has not fully embraced their use. The study aimed to understand why this may be the case and provide recommendations for increasing the adoption of these tools. Survey method was used. This is a research method in which a structured questionnaire is used to collect data from a sample of participants. In this case, the survey was emailed to teaching faculties at the University of Zambia, including lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors, and professors. Findings of the study showed that most faculty members don't use RMS despite awareness of its existence. Mendeley was the most used by the minority who indicated using RMS. Barriers as well as low usage of RMS revealed inadequate training. It was recommended that the library department conduct frequent trainings to provide the needed skills, knowledge and information to UNZA teachers in different faculties on the use of RMS. To better utilise the RMS, the training should go beyond referencing to using other advantaged features such flexible formatting, access to many file formats for export and import as well as sharing collections of references.