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Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and ResearchNOW IN
Article

How Pharmacy Students Evaluate the Credibility of Scientific Information: A Qualitative Study

Shafi Habibi1,2★, Seyede Nasrin Fatemi3, Leila Doshmangir2,4★ Corresponding author

  1. 1Department of Librarianship and Medical Information, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical.
  2. 2Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical.
  3. 3MSc student in Librarianship and Medical Information, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical.
  4. 4Health Services Management Department, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

CORRESPONDENCE

Shafi Habibi

Department of Librarianship and Medical Information, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical.

sh-habibi@razi.tums.ac.ir

Received: 22-04-2018; Revised: 16-07-2018; Accepted: 23-10-2018.

Volume 53, Issue 1 · pp. 79–87 · PUBLISHED 2026 · DOI: 10.5530/ijper.53.1.11

View on IJPER original site ↗

ABSTRACT

Objective:This research is aimed at exploring the evaluation of information credibility and its related criteria from the viewpoints and experiences of PhD students in pharmacy in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Methods: The qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Using convenience sampling method, 13 PhD students in pharmacy were selected. Rigor of the study was approved by member checking and external audit. A content analysis approach (inductive and deductive) was used for the analysis of the data. Results: Three themes, including “database evaluation”, “information source evaluation” and “content evaluation”, were extracted as the three most important components of the evaluation from students’ viewpoint. Nine primary criteria were extracted for the evaluation of information, including accessibility, coverage, learnability, relevancy, accuracy authority, currency, replicability and source validity. The desired criteria were categorized after considering subject and concept proximity. Conclusion: This study revealed the criteria considered by students for evaluating information. Challenges and limitations regarding the evaluation of information were identified. The findings of the study will help the central library and librarians realize and address the challenges and limitations of information use.

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    Habibi, S., Fatemi, S. N., & Doshmangir, L. (2026). How Pharmacy Students Evaluate the Credibility of Scientific Information: A Qualitative Study. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 53(1), 79–87. https://doi.org/10.5530/ijper.53.1.11