Abstract:
A citation analysis was conducted to examine the use of e-resources in
postgraduate research at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
(MUHAS) in Tanzania. A total of 549 masters dissertations produced between 2002
and 2011 were examined. Collected data were analysed in Microsoft Excel. The
findings indicate that a total of 30,405 references were extracted giving an average
of 55.4 references per dissertation. References to print journal articles accounted
for 70% of the total references. E-resources made up only 5.2% of the total
references and citations to e-journals were even fewer (0.3%). The highest citation
to e-resources was recorded in 2008 and there were no e-journal citations for the
years 2002 and 2004. In general, the number of e-journal citations has remained
very low during the ten years period. The findings therefore paint a picture that eresources were underutilized by postgraduates at MUHAS. However, there is
possibility that some of the journal articles cited were retrieved from CD-ROMs
databases or retrieved from the web but they were cited as print sources due to lack
of skills in using correct citation styles. It could also be that students incorrectly cite
secondary references. It is recommended that universities should intensify provision
of information literacy programmes (including the use of various citation styles) for
students and staff as well as promoting the use of e-resources. Future research may
combine citation analysis and other methods to establish reasons for the low usage
of e-resources.
