Maybe it's because I don't actually look for it, but it seems that most of the research / survey results I see is geared towards learning about how undergrads use / perceive the library, and services surrounding information seeking.
JISC and The British Library have just released a "major study into the behavioural habits of the 'Generation Y' PhD students".
The Researchers of Tomorrow project surveyed 17,000 doctoral students over the course of its three year longitudinal study to set a benchmark for the research behaviour of so-called Generation Y students born between 1983-1992. The final year of the study looked in detail at researchers’ use of social media applications within the research setting, and it found that, over the three-year period, there has been only a gradual increase in use of the social web and social media, which may seem surprising considering our increasingly digitalised culture.
I've only read the press release so far, but there are some pretty interesting nuggets in there, such as,
Other findings from the report include a continuing lack of understanding about the nature of open access. Generation Y students felt that putting their own work out openly will bring them no positive benefits, and may even have a negative impact. Equally, doctoral students’ understanding of the intellectual property and copyright environment appears to be a source of confusion, rather than an enabler of innovation.
Much work still to be done!!!!!
