STM End-User Survey Part 1 – Scientists and Engineers

Author: Daniel Pollock, Vice President & Lead Analyst

Scientists and engineers are important information consumers, spending between one-quarter and one-third of their work week gathering and analyzing information. They continue to encounter problems accessing the information they need, and this report provides valuable insight into opportunities for information providers to improve information products and so drive revenue. Outsell has tracked the information behaviors and preferences of scientists and engineers for eight years, and this report features our latest research on this user population. It analyzes their current information needs and habits, and considers implications for the IM functions that serve them and the information providers that supply them. The report contains:

- An overview profile of scientists and engineers as information consumers, including how they use information, top information types used, and their satisfaction levels with major vendors;
- Data and analysis of scientists’ and engineers’ information habits and unmet needs;
- A detailed look at this group’s use of interactive media;
- Data and analysis of scientists’ and engineers’ information spending and purchasing – the money flow;
- Essential actions for publishers and information providers serving scientists and engineers.