Problems of communication and information-handling among scientists and engineers in Saudi universities

Abstract

A questionnaire survey has been carried out of nearly 500 scientists and engineers working at four universities in Saudi Arabia. It was aimed at establishing their communication and information-handling practices, so that these could be compared with the corresponding activities of scientists and engineers in British universities. Particular attention has been paid to the role of information technology. The results of the survey show that communication and information- handling via traditional channels is subject to considerably greater limitations in Saudi Arabia than in the UK. However, networking is developing rapidly in Saudi Arabia, and is beginning to make a significant impact on academic infor mation activities. A detailed examination of current devel opments suggests that increasing employment of information technology may alleviate some of the informational problems presently experienced in the Saudi academic world.