Scott | Suspiciously Reliable: A Case Study of Students’ Perceptions of Open Access Searching | Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication

Abstract:  This case study examines how undergraduate students perceive the search infrastructure involved in open access searching and the open access materials’ content. Thirty students across two semesters of a second-year library science course were given a research topic but asked to imagine themselves as lacking access to the university’s subscriptions—meaning they could only access open access content through search engines such as Google Scholar, repositories, and the Directory of Open Access Journals. They were then asked to complete a research log, an annotated bibliography, and a reflection paper. In reviewing their reflection papers, a dualistic theme of both valuing and distrusting open access research was identified. Most students felt it necessary to apply more rigorous evaluation to the content found through open access databases and even evaluated the databases themselves. Despite this and other reservations, many students commented on the value of open access, especially when it pertained to the free and open exchange of information. Based on this study, we have adapted the way we speak about open access in the classroom to preemptively address some of the concerns noted in the reflections. This case study can add to the body of literature that examines the value of introducing open access to students.