Students’ Awareness, Use of and Satisfaction with Scientific Databases and Their Related Factors at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (2016-2017)

Introduction: Scientific databases are one of the most important information resources in academic communities and can largely affect different aims and goals of students. This study was aimed to determine the use and awareness of and satisfaction with scientific databases among students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (MazUMS).

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during the academic period 2016-2017. A researcher-made questionnaire based on the review of internal and external resources about the subject (in 6 sections) with approved reliability and validity was distributed among 238 students at MazUMS (M.Sc., Ph.D., M.D., and residents). Data were analyzed by SPSS.16 software using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The findings showed that most of the students used scientific databases because of clinical activities (mean= 4.27). Also, most students had an average knowledge about ISI databases (4.43) and they used PubMed more than other databases (4.30). Further, the highest satisfaction with databases was found for ISI (4.28). Moreover, unfamiliarity with English language was the most important barrier to using scientific databases.

Conclusion: The use and awareness of and satisfaction with scientific databases among students at MazUMS were more than average and close to high level. MazUMS can provide better conditions for students to use scientific databases by planning and adopting suitable policy and eliminating the barriers and challenges, thereby promoting their scientific and professional developments.