Tomaž Bartol

Bibliometric Analysis of Publishing Trends in Fiber Crops in Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web Of Science

The aim was to evaluate natural fibers (fiber crops or fiber plants) in Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), and Google Scholar with regard to growth trends and leading countries by authors/coauthors of documents. Basic functionalities of information systems were assessed. Search syntax was based on article titles, abstracts, and keywords (topics). The three information systems can only be consistently compared on the basis of article titles. Different ranks of individual fiber crops can be observed among the systems. The cumulative data for the entire period show different characteristics than the more recent trends. Specific crops show more intensive growth in the recent period. Retrieval with topics in Scopus and WOS also shows differences, probably on account of indexing method (KeyWords Plus in WOS and thesauri descriptors in Scopus). Several countries are ranked much higher in WOS than Scopus, and vice versa, indicating differences in coverage of journals. The principal contributing countries are China, India, and USA. China returns similar total counts as USA in 1994–2013 but is producing twice as many records in the most recent period. Interpretation of results depends on the query (selection of search terms, fields, and search syntax) and database or information system under analysis.

A comparative study of three teaching methods on student information literacy in stand-alone credit-bearing university courses

Three teaching methods, applied to credit-bearing information literacy (IL) university courses, were evaluated and compared. The effects of lecture-based learning (LBL), project-based learning (PjBL) and problem-based learning (PBL) were investigated using the information literacy test (ILT) as an assessment tool, with regard to the total ILT score, specific IL contents according to the five ACRL standards and students’ mental skills according to the Bloom’s cognitive categories. While all three teaching methods showed a significant improvement in the ILT post-test, the active-learning groups of PjBL and PBL scored significantly better than the LBL group. The most notable positive difference was observed in students’ effective access to information related to database searching skills, in the intellectual property/ethics issues and in the cognitive category of comprehension. The PjBL and PBL post-test results did not differ significantly, indicating that both active learning methods resulted in similar improvements of students’ IL.

Evaluation of Information Literacy of Slovenian University Students

This contribution summarizes the results of the evaluation of information literacy (IL) of 677 higher education students enrolled in study programs of life sciences, health, technologies, and social sciences at six Slovenian faculties. The information literacy test (ILT) that was developed, verified and validated by the authors in a previous work served as the IL measuring instrument. Statistical analyses of ILT responses were performed in SPSS. The results suggest that, on average, Slovenian students’ IL is satisfactory and improves with years of education. On average, students know information sources and adequately evaluate the collected information. They possess skills to use the information in academic work and to synthesize data into knowledge. However, students are less proficient in advanced search strategies available in scientific and patent databases. The main deficit in students’ knowledge is evident in topics related to intellectual property rights and in ethical issues related to acquisition and use of information. Students that participated in an IL-specific study course significantly improved their ILT achievement, most significantly in topics where their pre-knowledge was lower.

Assessing Content and Cognitive Levels of Information Literacy in a Group of Life Sciences University Students

The present study investigates the initial level of information literacy (IL) of 308 life sciences students from three Slovenian faculties compared to the level achieved by the students after completing a compulsory credit-bearing IL course. A validated information literacy test (ILT) served as an assessment instrument, and the results were statistically analysed by IL topic, cognitive category and year of study. The students achieved significant progress in all main IL topics and all cognitive categories. The greatest improvement was in the subscale of database searching, where the initial IL level was the lowest. Another IL deficiency that was detected and improved relates to legal and ethical issues. With regard to cognitive categories, the students achieved the most evident progress in the category of applying knowledge, where they were initially the least successful. An analysis of the students’ IL achievements by year of study led to the recommendation to include an IL-related study course in the curriculum of life sciences programmes in the second year of study.

Conservation of Wild Crafted Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Their Habitats

The use of Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in the form of traditional medicine, is still the preferred method of medical treatment in developing countries, owing to the unavailability and/or high prices of modern medicines. In the developed economies, as a contract, the market sectors for plant products seem to show new potentials, like in the case of different processing industries. The market for herbal medicines and supplements is expected to reach 107 billion USD by 2017. Most of the MAPs supply required for meeting the global demand, however, still originates from natural sources. Overharvesting, in addition to the destruction of natural habitats, lead to serious losses in biodiversity. Many countries have introduced measures to protect species under the guidance of the CBD and GSPC targets. Nevertheless, the numbers of rare or threatened wild species have been on an increase, especially in recent years. Numerous in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to preserve rare or threatened MAP species have been proposed. Some complementary conservation measures include restrictions on wildcrafting, protection in botanical, ethnobotanical gardens or other areas (national parks, nature reserves). Involvement of local communities in development programs of conservation, for example on-farm cultivation instead of wildcrafting, is essential for preservation of valuable genetic resources for the future.