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An Exploratory Study on Academic Librarians' Perception of Predatory Journals

대학도서관 사서의 부실 의심 학술지 인식에 대한 탐색적 연구

  • Myoung-A Hong ;
  • Wonsik Shim
  • 홍명아 (성균관대학교 일반대학원 문헌정보학과) ;
  • 심원식 (성균관대학교 문헌정보학과)
  • Received : 2024.08.14
  • Accepted : 2024.09.10
  • Published : 2024.09.30

Abstract

The emergence of Open Access (OA) and other changes to the academic publishing ecosystem have made the prevalence of predatory journals a significant concern. Academic librarians play a crucial role in the academic environment that protects researchers and takes action against predatory journals. Nonetheless, there isn't many research that looks into how academic librarians view and handle predatory journals. This study aims to give an exploratory analysis of the overall perceptions of predatory journals among university librarians in South Korea. A survey was administered to academic librarians between April 10 and May 1, 2024, and 78 respondents' answers were examined. The findings demonstrate that opinions among South Korean academic librarians on predatory journals are not all uniform. Based on their readiness and willingness to supply services, the respondents could be roughly categorized into four groups, according to cluster analysis. The study affirms that training librarians and improving cooperation between academic libraries and researchers are critical prerequisites for the advancement of services aimed at predatory publications. We anticipate that this study, which is the first of its type to explore how academic librarians in South Korea see predatory journals, will be a valuable starting point for university libraries as they plan and offer services related to predatory journals in the future.

OA 출판의 확산과 더불어 학술생태계에 큰 변화가 나타났고 그 중심에 부실 학술지 이슈가 있다. 대학도서관 사서들은 부실 학술지 문제에 대응하고 연구자를 지원하는 학술생태계의 중요한 구성 요소 중 하나이다. 그러나 국내외에서 대학도서관 사서들이 실제로 부실 학술지를 어떻게 인식하고 있는지에 대한 연구는 거의 없다. 이러한 맥락에서 본 연구는 국내의 대학도서관 사서들이 부실 학술지에 대해 어떤 인식을 가지고 있는지를 파악하고자 하는 탐색적 연구를 수행하였다. 이를 위해 대학도서관 사서들을 대상으로 2024년 4월 10일부터 5월 1일까지 설문조사를 실시하였고 총 78명의 응답을 수집하였다. 계량적인 데이터 분석 결과, 국내의 대학도서관 사서들은 부실 학술지와 관련해 다양한 인식 수준을 가지고 있었으며, 군집분석 결과 서비스 준비 및 의향 측면에서 잠정적으로 4개의 집단으로 구분되는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 대학도서관이 부실 학술지 관련 서비스를 제공하기 위해서는 도서관과 연구자 간의 협력 강화 및 사서들에 대한 재교육이 중요함을 확인하였다. 본 연구는 국내 대학도서관 사서들을 대상으로 부실 학술지에 대한 인식을 파악하고자 한 최초의 연구로서 학문적 의의를 가지며, 향후 대학도서관이 부실 학술지 관련 서비스를 제공하는데 중요한 기초자료가 될 것이다.

Keywords

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