"Student researchers are keenly aware of the importance of effective time management," says John Law, ProQuest director of platform development, who led the study of student research habits. "They understand that their academic success depends upon their ability to find and synthesize a large volume of information, judge its relevance, and incorporate it into their academic experiences. Effective time management is the only way a student can balance all of the competing priorities of their academic work with the added demands of employment and their social lives."

The study, entitled "Observing Students in their Native Habitat," monitored students as they were conducting research for actual course assignments and also collected survey data about how they use online resources. When study participants were asked to identify which resource they preferred for academic research and course assignments, they overwhelmingly preferred library databases. However, students will opt for Google if they have difficulty navigating the library's e-resources Web page, if they're faced with multiple obscure links or "how-to guides," or if they're not aware of the library databases that pertain to their particular need.

According to the 2007 study, another major barrier to successfully using library online resources is student's misunderstanding of the requirement to 'authenticate,' or login to use their library's resources.

"Many students are simply unaware that from outside of the library, using any computer with internet access, their student ID is often all they need to use their library's research databases," said Mr. Law. "However, if the student attempts to use the database without authenticating, the resource doesn't work as expected, produces only limited results or asks the student to purchase the content. Experiences like these often lead students to return to the open web as a primary research source"

In addition to identifying the barriers that frustrate students when using library resources, the study also details the factors that influence where and how a student initiates research:

     -- Students respond well to library instruction on electronic resources

	        that are presented to them in a class by a research librarian.

	        Especially important in this regard is raising awareness that a

	        variety of library databases exist and where to find them.

	     -- Students place an unusually strong importance on resource

	        recommendations they receive from their professors.  In fact,

	        students tend to generalize these recommendations across all types

	        of research assignments and as a result, use databases that may not

	        be appropriate for the task at hand.

	     -- Students respond to brand names and possess a relatively high level

	        of brand awareness.  However, knowledge didn't extend much beyond

	        name and students were rarely able to distinguish between resources

	        at the database level.

	     -- Students choose Google and Wikipedia as handy look-up tools for

	        quick, simple background information, when they need specific fact,

	        and when they need an unfamiliar term defined.  However, students

	        indicated they did not consider the Google results or information

	        gleaned from Wikipedia to be authoritative.