Investigative behaviors of researchers in the fields of humanities and sociology

Abstract

THE ARTICLE REPRESENTS PART OF A LARGER RESEARCH ENDEAVOR THAT FOCUSES ON THE RESEARCH SEARCH BEHAVIORS OF SCIENTISTS WITHIN THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNITY OF THE UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTONOMA DE MEXICO (UNAM-THE MEXICAN NATIONAL AUTONOMUS UNIVERSITY). THE RESEARCH PROJECT ATTEMPTS TO QUANTIFY THE SOURCES AND INFORMATION RESOURCES USED BY RESEARCHES AND IN TURN EXAMINE WHETER PATTERNS EXIST BETWEEN THESE AND THE TYPE OF RESEARCH PROJECT, THE RESEARCHER'S FIELD AND THE STAGE AT WHICH THE PROJECTS ARE ADVANCED. A SURVEY INSTRUMENT WAS DESIGNED AND APPLIED TO A STRATIFIED SAMPLE, OWING TO THE GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSION AND HETEROGENEITY OF THE UNIVERSE OF RESEARCHERS ATTACHED TO EACH CENTER AND INSTITUTE OF THE RESEARCH SUB-SYSTEM IN HUMANITIES OF THE UNAM. THE RESULTS OBTAINED WERE ANALYZED DESCRIPTIVELY AND THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF SEVERAL SATISTICAL PACKAGES. THE RESULTS WERE THEN COMPARED TO THOSE OF SIMILAR STUDIES CARRIED OUT IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES, WHICH YIELDED CERTAIN PARALLELS IN THE RESEARCHER'S BEHAVIORS, MOST NOTABLY THEIR USE OF MONOGRAPHS BEFORE PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS AND THEIR USE OF LIBRARIES AS A MAIN SOURCE AND LATER COLLEGIAL CONTACTS . AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE RESEARCHER'S FIELD AND SOURCES AND INFORMATION RESOURCES USED WAS ALSO IDENTIFIED.