Library as a Research Support System for AHSS Doctoral Students. Impact of Marital Status and Gender on Researchers

Abstract

Researchers, particularly doctoral students, face numerous challenges in their academic pursuits. The influence of gender and marital status factors in a researcher's Ph.D. journey in this context was examined. The study aimed to identify whether researcher problems were influenced by marital and gender factors and attempt to determine how the library could support the researchers. Few studies explore the role of support systems, especially the library, to meet researcher needs and help alleviate their doctoral challenges. The present study examined a sample of 500 AHSS (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences) doctoral students, from five top-ranking Indian state universities regarding their researcher problems. Data was collected with a structured questionnaire. The study found conclusive evidence that a researcher's marital status and gender played an essential part in their research career. The authors recommended the library's possible roles as research support within this framework and how best the library could help assuage doctoral challenges.

Keywords

• research support
• researcher development
• university libraries