Researchers of Tomorrow
Charles Hutchings

Joanna Newman

JISC Market Research Manager
Head of Higher Education, BL
Builds on ‘Google Generation’  (2008)

Focusing on ‘Generation Y’ – unlike ‘Google Gen’,  not 'digital natives'

Commissioned by the British Library and the JISC

Study commenced February 2009 and will report in February 2012

Background
Aims
"We have grown up with internet, broadband, wi-fi, Google, CD, DVD, MTV, MP3, SMS and MMS.... 

….We've never had to memorise a phone number and we've never had to get off the sofa to change a channel on the TV…

….You won't find many Gen-Yers in the local library and it's highly unlikely we would ever use a 'real' dictionary to check a spelling"
Gribben, 2007
doctoral students born between 1982 and 1994
What we're doing
Wider context survey
Emerging findings
What next?
www.researchersoftomorrow.net
time pressures
(e)journals and journal articles important
still print things out
use Google
receive little training
low usage of advanced ICT in research
rely more on supervisors and peers


sophisticated information literates?
hybrids: conservative innovators?
synergistic researchers?