The use of information technology by scientists in British and Saudi Arabian universities: a comparative study

Abstract

A parallel study has been carried out of the use of information technology by scientists at universities in the UK and Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire survey on this topic was originally carried out in the UK during 1985-86. New surveys. based on the same set of questions, have been carried out in the UK and Saudi Arabia during 1991. On the one hand, this provides a five-year baseline of data for the UK, which can be used to discern trends in usage. On the other, it permits a comparison of current Saudi usage with the position in the UK The results indicate a rapid growth and diversification of information technology activities in the UK. Usage in Saudi Arabia is already approaching the level found in British universities in the mid-1980s.