The Role of Search Skills in Accessing Academic Information Resources by Postgraduate Students in South West, Nigeria

Abstract

To achieve proficiency in terms of locating relevant information resources, particularly those related to academic issues, postgraduate students develop excellent web search skills because, in the absence of such skills, learners will not be able to deal with the wealth of information found on the web as they may end up feeling confused, frustrated and less productive in their studies. This paper demonstrated the significance of search competencies in boosting information search behaviour among postgraduate students by focusing on four fundamental dimensions of search capacity: operational, formal, informational, and strategic procedures. Operational, formal, informational, and strategic skills facilitate the process of building structured, specific search queries, evaluating and determining the relevance and credibility of search results, and selecting the best methods for retrieving information that meets their academic requirements. Through this mutual exposure, the paper added a research-based search strategy development process that seeks to support the requirements of postgraduate students. Moreover, the study aimed to offer practical considerations to educators, academic librarians, and information professionals who significantly contribute to the development of search mastery and providing the guidance to students to help them adopt more productive and self-reliant research habits. By highlighting the significance of search skills in accessing academic information resources, this research proposed the provision of instructional interventions and support systems that can help in developing the research ability of students, their capacity to identify high-quality academic information, and overall promote their performance and output at postgraduate level.