Research Priorities of Iranian Faculty Members and PhD Students in Medical Library and Information Science

Objective: The field of “medical library and information science” has a broad research platform due to its interdisciplinary nature. However, the lack of resources necessitates the attention to research priorities in this field. This study aims to identify the research priorities of Iranian faculty members and PhD students in medical library and information science. Methods: This is a descriptive survey study that was conducted in 2020. The study population included all PhD students (n=45) and faculty members (n=36) in medical library and information sciences from different medical universities of Iran. Sampling was done by a census method. The data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha (α= 0.98). The data analysis was performed in SPSS statistical software on the data from 64 questionnaires using descriptive statistics (Mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (T-test and Friedman’s test). Results: Friedman's test results showed that research priorities of faculty members were education (Mean=4.01), entrepreneurship (Mean=3.96) and research (Mean=3.80); For the students, the research priorities were evidence-based practice (Mean=4.15), information literacy (Mean=3.87) and education (Mean= 3.76). Conclusion: Replacing traditional and theoretical topics with practical and future-based topics can be effective in preventing waste of time and resources in future studies.