Digital Literacy: A Faculty-Based Comparative Study of Research Scholars at the University of Rajasthan

Open Access

Year : 2026 | Volume : 03 | Issue : 02 | Page : 34 43
By

Santosh Gupta,

Ritika Garg,

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Library & Information Science, University of Rajasthan,Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
  2. Assistant Librarian, Department of Library, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Abstract

This study explored how much “research scholars in the department of Social Science and Arts of the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur”, understand and use digital technologies. The findings based on 84 questionnaires show that scholars of the Social Science faculty have a relatively high digital literacy compared to those in the Arts faculty. Most of the respondents indicated that they were skilled in using open-access sources. However, about a quarter (26%) of participants are comfortable with using video or audio sharing sites for academic or professional purposes. Correspondence via email and general web browsing became the most popular online activities among the scholars in both faculties. Social Science scholars preferred working on laptops as compared to Arts scholars, who mainly used smartphones to access the internet. The research also reports a series of challenges facing access to digital resources by scholars. Based on this, the authors suggest conducting regular review sessions and special capacity-building training to promote the successful use of digital tools and emerging technologies in research. The findings further highlight the importance of integrating digital literacy into research training programmes and encouraging the effective use of online academic databases, reference management software, collaborative platforms, and digital communication tools. Strengthening institutional digital infrastructure and providing continuous technical support can enhance research productivity, improve access to scholarly information, and enable researchers to adapt more effectively to evolving digital research environments. Based on these findings, the authors suggest conducting regular review sessions and special capacity-building training to promote the successful use of digital tools and emerging technologies in research.

Keywords: Digital literacy, e-resources, internet usage, ICT tools, web 2.0 technologies, open access

[This article belongs to International Journal of Behavioral Sciences ]

How to cite this article: Santosh Gupta, Ritika Garg. Digital Literacy: A Faculty-Based Comparative Study of Research Scholars at the University of Rajasthan. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 03(02):34-43.
How to cite this URL: Santosh Gupta, Ritika Garg. Digital Literacy: A Faculty-Based Comparative Study of Research Scholars at the University of Rajasthan. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 03(02):34-43. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/ijbsc/article=2026/view=251222

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Regular Issue Open Access Original Research
Volume 03
Issue 02
Received 04/07/2026
Accepted 17/07/2026
Published 18/07/2026
Publication Time 14 Days

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