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Bibliographic management and sustainable research training in higher education: Evidence from library science students
Vol 4, Issue 4, 2026
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Abstract
Bibliographic management and information literacy are recognised as key components of sustainable research training in higher education. However, in the Library Science programme at the Technical University of Manabí, there was evidence of weaknesses in citation practices, limited use of reference management software, and low visibility of the role of librarians in academic processes. This study used a qualitative descriptive exploratory approach. Purposive sampling was used to select 18 of the 50 students that made up the population. To investigate experiences with information access, citation standards management, bibliographic management software use, plagiarism comprehension, and librarian perceptions, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The ATLAS.ti software was used to analyse the data. Academic research, library services, and information ethics were three central thematic dimensions emerging from the qualitative analysis. Students voiced concerns about plagiarism, citation standards limitations, and their limited knowledge of tools such as Mendeley and Zotero. Furthermore, they perceived librarians mainly as technical support staff in research training. The study concludes that bibliographic management strengthens sustainable research training by promoting ethical information use, academic integrity, and more systematic research practices in higher education.
Keywords
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