Journal of Medical Library and Information Science

Introduction: The extensive use of social media has become a significant aspect of student life today. While engaging with social media can lead to an increased likelihood of high-risk behaviors, self-control might play a key role in moderating this relationship. This study aims to explore how social media usage impacts high-risk behaviors, focusing on the moderating influence of self-control among students at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study took place in 2024. The study’s statistical population comprised 6,145 students, from which 364 participants were chosen using Morgan's table and a stratified sampling method. The data collection involved standard questionnaires, including the Virtual Social Media Addiction questionnaire, the Iranian Youth Risk-Taking Scale, and the Tangney Self-Control Scale. The data analysis was performed using SPSS 24 and Smart PLS 3 software, employing correlation and path analysis tests.

Results: Among the 364 students who participated, 49.2% were female and 45.9% were male, with an average age of 25.18 years (±5.18). The majority were undergraduates (57.4%), followed by master’s students (22.8%) and general medicine students (8%). The average scores for social media use (2.81), risky behaviors such as unsafe driving (2.55), violence (2.34), smoking (2.55), and alcohol, drug, and psychotropic use (2.50), as well as suicidal tendencies (2.61) and unsafe sexual behavior (2.48), were all significantly below average (P < 0.001). There was a positive link between social media use and all these risky behaviors, including unsafe driving, violence, smoking, alcohol, drug, and psychotropic use, suicidal tendencies, and unsafe sexual practices (P < 0.05). However, self-control (average score of 2.85) significantly mitigated the impact of social media use on these risky behaviors (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Social media usage can heighten the chances of engaging in risky behaviors. However, bolstering self-control can lessen this impact. By strengthening self-control skills, we can effectively reduce risky behaviors among active social media students.

Introduction: Electronic book (e-book) reader programs providing rapid access to books. These programs encounter significant challenges in Iran, particularly in the medical field. This study aims to explore the obstacles publishers face in the electronic publishing industry, and evaluate the current state of Persian-language book reader programs from the publishers’ viewpoint.

Methods: This study utilized a qualitative approach, gathering data through semi-structured interviews, engaging publishers with at least 10% of their catalog dedicated to medical books, and collaborating with Persian book-reading programs. The questions focused on the challenges of electronic publishing, the economic aspects of digital publishing, and the future prospects of this industry in Iran. The present study initially selected 30 publishers through purposive sampling, followed by a snowball sampling. The data were coded, categorized, and analyzed.

Results: The study’s results revealed that publishers face several challenges, such as technical difficulties in preparing e-books, copyright issues, collaboration challenges between publishers and e-readers, and financial challenges. Furthermore, medical publishers face specific problems, such as the difficulty of organizing resources in the original language and the lack of a suitable market for specialized medical books in the digital space.

Conclusion: E-book reader applications in Iran are hindered by various challenges that reflect limitations in technical, economic, cultural, and social fields. These challenges affect publishers’ collaboration with the e-book reader app, and reduce user satisfaction. The analysis emphasizes the critical need for improved interaction between publishers and designers and suggest a pressing need to reevaluate the design and management of these applications.

Introduction: The introduction of research support services in medical and health libraries worldwide aims to provide the necessary tools and resources that assist researchers in planning, conducting, and disseminating their research effectively. This study aimed to survey the research support services and the competencies of medical librarians to provide such services in medical libraries in South-South, Nigeria.

Methods: The survey method was employed, using a sample of the population, all registered medical librarians from 11 government-owned universities with colleges of medicine or health sciences colleges in the six South-South states of Nigeria. The total enumerative sampling technique covered 47 medical librarians in the institutions. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The questionnaire was a 4-point scale instrument adapted from the Medical Library Association Competency Standards. Data were analyzed using simple percentage/frequency counts and statistical mean.

Results: The research services provided to support medical research in South-South, Nigeria, are limited to basic library services such as circulation and lending services, while medical librarians are competent in the provision of basic library services, such as effectively finding printed resources, in addition to assessing information needs and selecting information resources.

Conclusion: Medical librarians contribute to medical research; however, they need to be competent to support medical researchers in medicine more than anything else. The researchers recommend that librarians attend regular training programs to improve their proficiency in critical research areas.

Introduction: Conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses necessitates scientific collaboration. There appears to be a correlation between the number of authors and the number of citations. This study explores the relationship between the number of authors and the citation metrics of Iranian systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the medical sciences field.

Methods: This study is correlational in nature. It examines a research population consisting of 5,231 Iranian articles focused on systematic reviews and meta-analyses within the medical sciences. These articles were published between 2011 and 2020 and are indexed in the Web of Science database. The articles were identified using relevant keywords related to systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the advanced search section, utilizing the TS tag. The evidence was sourced from Articles and Reviews. The analysis utilized SPSS software version 29, employing descriptive statistics along with the Shapiro-Wilk and Spearman tests.

Results: Most articles analyzed (62.7%) had between three and six authors. The peak average number of authors occurred in 2014, reaching 12.4 per article. A growing trend is visible in terms of average citations based on the age of the articles. The average number of authors per article does not correlate significantly with the citation indicators examined in the article.

Conclusion: The primary trend observed in the articles examined was a shift towards increased scientific collaboration. While no significant correlation was observed between the average number of authors and citation indices, the overall findings suggest that more authors tend to be linked with a higher number of citations.

Introduction: Academic libraries must continuously evaluate the quality of their services. This research investigated the quality of services in the libraries of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences from the perspective of users according to gap analysis models (LiveQual, DigiQual, and SERVQUAL).

Methods: This research is an applied, cross-sectional study. The statistical population includes 9916 active members in the portal of the central library of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2023, by random sampling with a sample size of 407. The data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (paired t-test and non-parametric Wilcoxon test) using SPSS version 26 software.

Results: Based on Wilcoxon’s non-parametric test, there were seven areas with an average difference >12 in assessing the gap between the quality of existing services and what was expected. In the hypothesis under consideration, namely, the mean difference in quality of available services with users' expectations, a significant difference was reported in most dimensions (p<0.001). The most significant service gap was in the online service sector with an average difference of (-24.92), followed by educational programs (-21) and physical space (-15).

Conclusion: There was a considerable gap between users’ expectations and service quality at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences library centers, necessitating a serious review of the services. Current services provided fail to satisfy users. To stay pertinent and effective within the educational system, libraries must adapt to evolving user needs by embracing modern technologies and improving physical spaces, equipment, and access to information.

Introduction: Plagiarism is a form of scientific misconduct, and academics may be involved in it deliberately or unintentionally. This study aims to investigate the attitudes of faculty members and graduate students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences towards the factors influencing the development of academic plagiarism.

Methods: This survey was conducted on faculty members and graduate students from Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 2023. The sample size was determined using a stratified random method (306 people). The data collection tool was a questionnaire scored on a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test, as implemented in SPSS software.

Results: The study participants included 148 faculty members and 144 students. The main background factors affecting academic plagiarism are related to “low self-confidence and fear of the label of requesting help from others” (53.6%), “lack of understanding of intellectual property rights” (52.6%), “absence of ratified laws and executive mechanisms to penalize plagiarists” (49.8%), “inappropriate cultural and moral values ​​in the society regarding scientific plagiarism” (46.6%). No significant differences were reported between the views of faculty members and students regarding personal, normative, organizational, and cultural factors; however, a significant difference was observed in technology factors.

Conclusion: Faculty members and students share similar viewpoints regarding the factors creating the context for plagiarism. According to the opinions of the community under study, appropriate educational programs, regulatory guidelines, and adjustments to cultural and organizational conditions should be considered to reduce plagiarism.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly transformed global communication practices, with Twitter emerging as a key platform for sharing crisis-related information. This study aims to investigate public emotional dynamics across four critical phases of the pandemic: Emergence, Lockdowns, Vaccine Rollout, and Variant Surges, to capture how sentiment evolved and to highlight implications for crisis communication strategies.

Methods: This study employed a quantitative content analysis method, incorporating sentiment analysis techniques, to assess COVID-19 crisis-related tweets across key phases of the outbreak. A dataset of 2 million COVID-19-related tweets, spanning January 2020 to December 2022, was analyzed using a hybrid sentiment analysis framework. VADER was applied for lexicon-based polarity scoring, while a fine-tuned BiLSTM model enhanced contextual classification. Emotion detection, guided by the NRC Emotion Lexicon, identified eight dominant emotions, including fear, trust, anger, and joy. Comparative analyses were conducted between official sources (such as verified health agencies, government institutions, and news outlets) and citizen-generated content to assess differences in sentiment and emotional tone across the phases.

Results: Two million tweets were analyzed across four key phases of the pandemic. The majority of tweets were citizen-generated (81%). Tweet volume peaked during Phase 1 (the initial outbreak) and Phase 3 (the vaccine rollout). Polarity trends indicated heightened negative sentiment during the initial outbreak and lockdowns, followed by a substantial rise in positivity during the vaccine rollout, and renewed negativity during variant surges. Fear dominated Phase 1 (36.2%), trust rose in Phase 3 (34.7%), and anger was most pronounced during Phase 4 (28.9%). Official sources were significantly more positive in tone compared to citizens across all phases (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the importance of phase-specific, emotion-aware communication strategies. By aligning messaging with prevailing emotional climates, health agencies can reduce public trust vulnerability to misinformation and improve the effectiveness of crisis communication during future global health emergencies.

Introduction: Sexual health literacy is one of the essential components in promoting women’s reproductive and mental health. This study aimed to investigate the sexual and reproductive health literacy level and its relevant factors in women of reproductive age referring to comprehensive health service centers in Zahedan, Iran, in 2024.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the reproductive age women referring to comprehensive health service centers in Zahedan city, Iran. The number of samples was determined 384 people. The data collection tool included a demographic information collection form and the Sexual Health Literacy for Adults (SHELA) self-report questionnaire with 40 questions in four subscales (access, reading and comprehension, analysis and evaluation, and application). The data were analyzed with SPSS software and statistical tests of descriptive indicators (mean, standard deviation, quartiles, and frequency), Pearson’s test for correlations, and analysis of variance for group comparisons.

Results: The raw score of sexual health literacy was 140.85 ± 22.70 and the total score on a scale of 0 to 100 was 63.03 ± 14.19. Among the dimensions of sexual health literacy, the dimensions of information application skills (0.9) and access skills (0.61) obtained the highest standard average score, and reading and comprehension skills (0.51) and analysis and evaluation skills (0.52) obtained the lowest standard average score. A significant relationship was shown between sexual health literacy and the variables of participation in premarital counseling classes, marital status, education level of the individual and his/her spouse, occupation, and field of study (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The overall level of sexual health literacy in this sample is relatively adequate, but the dispersion of scores and the wide range of values ​​reveals significant inequalities between subgroups. It is suggested that targeted educational interventions be implemented in relevant centers such as schools, libraries, and premarital counseling centers to promote information literacy skills for lifelong learning of individuals, with a special focus on less advantaged groups.

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into medical university libraries, transforming information retrieval, knowledge organization, and user support. While AI offers efficiency and personalization, its adoption raises critical ethical concerns that align with medical ethics and library science. This narrative review examines the ethical implications of AI in medical university libraries, focusing on four guiding principles: Privacy and data protection, transparency and accountability, equity and access, and trust and user autonomy.

Methods: In this narrative review, a systematic search of the literature identified 43 relevant studies published between 2019 and 2025 using four major scholarly databases. Evidence was synthesized to highlight risks, ethical implications, and strategies proposed for responsible AI integration.

Results: Privacy concerns centered on risks of data breaches, vendor misuse, and long-term data retention, requiring compliance with GDPR/HIPAA and adoption of encryption and anonymization protocols. Transparency and accountability challenges stemmed from algorithmic opacity and bias, necessitating audits, explainable AI, and shared governance. Equity and access issues reflected institutional disparities and barriers for digitally marginalized users, emphasizing open-source tools, multilingual support, and digital literacy programs. Finally, trust and user autonomy were threatened by over-reliance on automated systems, highlighting the need for librarian oversight, ethics education, and user feedback mechanisms.

Conclusion: AI adoption in medical university libraries requires a robust ethical framework to safeguard privacy, promote transparency, ensure equitable access, and preserve user trust. Future research should focus on empirical evaluations, cross-cultural perspectives, and policy frameworks tailored to academic medical libraries.

The retraction of flawed or questionable studies is crucial for maintaining the integrity and reliability of scientific literature. However, many retracted papers continue to be cited, often without explicit acknowledgement of their retracted status. Continued citations of retracted publications can disseminate unreliable results and distort citation-based indicators, such as the Journal Impact Factor. To address these concerns, Clarivate announced in May 2025 that citations to and from retracted papers made after the official retraction date will be excluded from Journal Impact Factor calculations. This commentary addresses the issue of post-retraction citations, Clarivate’s rationale for the change, and its expected benefits and potential impacts. It argues that although the policy enhances research integrity, it may also discourage journals from pursuing and disclosing retractions due to the possible negative impact on their metrics.

Contemporary scientific inquiry is firmly situated in the era of Big Data, characterized by an unprecedented growth in research data volumes. This data ecosystem encompasses a vast spectrum of inputs, ranging from clinical trials and longitudinal cohort studies to high-throughput genomic sequencing, medical imaging, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and outputs derived from emerging artificial intelligence technologies (1). Yet, amidst this surge, the critical challenge lies not merely in data generation, but in its optimal management.

Research data are increasingly recognized as independent, primary scholarly outputs. When curated effectively, these assets become FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), enabling seamless sharing, secondary analysis, and integration into future research endeavors (2-4). Furthermore, the systematic reuse of research data significantly enhances scientific efficiency by reducing redundant data collection, thereby saving time, effort, and financial resources (5, 6). It is precisely these benefits that have propelled Research Data Management (RDM) to the forefront of strategic priorities in recent decades (2, 7).

In essence, RDM is an integral component of the research lifecycle, extending from initial project planning through post-project archival, sharing, and eventual disposition (8, 9). The RDM framework encompasses a holistic set of activities: Data planning, documentation, secure storage, access control, long-term preservation, and the facilitation of data reuse (10-12).  Technological advancements have now enabled the collection, storage, and cross-disciplinary analysis of scientific data at a global scale. Consequently, governments, funding agencies, and publishers are increasingly mandating comprehensive Data Management Plans (DMPs) and the implementation of Open Data policies (4).

In this landscape, rigorous RDM is indispensable for ensuring research transparency, data integrity, and the continuous advancement of knowledge. Sound data management practices not only facilitate the verification of research findings—thereby accelerating scientific progress—but also ensure that data are accurately documented, organized, and archived for future utility. Ultimately, when implemented effectively, RDM serves as a cornerstone for improving data quality and fostering robust collaboration across institutions, research groups, and individual investigators. By mitigating the risks of data loss and minimizing redundant efforts, high-quality RDM acts as a catalyst for a more efficient and collaborative global research enterprise (13-15).

Libraries and research institutions serve as the fundamental pillars of research support, possessing invaluable expertise in the organization, preservation, control, and curation of information (16). As the prominence of RDM continues to escalate, the field of Library and Information Science (LIS) is witnessing the emergence of transformative professional opportunities (17-21). Consequently, libraries are progressively expanding their service portfolios to meet the rigorous demands of RDM, increasingly viewing this integration as a cornerstone of their future institutional roles (22, 23).

To facilitate this transition, organizations such as the Medical Library Association (MLA) have sought to empower librarians through specialized data services training. These pedagogical initiatives enable librarians to acquire essential competencies in data collection, organization, evaluation, and dissemination, while simultaneously instilling a profound understanding of the ethical dimensions and best practices inherent in RDM (24). Furthermore, an increasing number of libraries have assumed the responsibility of providing critical guidance on data literacy (25).

Despite these global advancements, the specialized role of the “Data Librarian” has yet to be fully institutionalized in several contexts, including Iran. While existing literature has endeavored to delineate the necessary competencies and capabilities required for data librarians to contribute effectively to RDM (18, 19, 26-30), including the development of competency models specifically tailored for biomedical data management (31), there remains a significant gap between theoretical frameworks and professional practice.

Therefore, it is imperative that the findings of such studies be utilized by policymakers, academic planners, and strategic decision-makers to design both short-term and long-term curricular interventions. Such efforts should focus on revising Medical Library and Information Science curricula to specifically cultivate the next generation of data librarians. Moreover, research centers and academic organizations, at both micro and macro levels, should adopt these established competency models as benchmarks to assess the proficiency of their staff and to facilitate the recruitment of qualified data professionals.

Given the burgeoning importance of RDM, we strongly advocate that the human resource frameworks within the Ministry of Health and Medical Education be modernized. By adopting the data librarian competency models (31), the Ministry should not only facilitate the recruitment of PhD holders in Medical Library and Information Science into research-oriented faculty positions but also formally establish dedicated “Data Librarian” job descriptions within medical research centers and health science organizations. Such structural reforms are essential to fortify the research infrastructure and ensure the sustainable management of scientific knowledge.