A UK report published in June 2012 raises questions about research development, training and support within research institutions.

Researchers of Tomorrow Report is based on a longitudinal study into the information seeking behaviour of Generation Y doctoral students, commissioned by Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and the British Library.

The research findings revealed:

• Doctoral students are increasingly reliant on secondary research resources (e.g. journal articles, books), moving away from primary materials (e.g. primary archival material and large datasets).
• Access to relevant resources is a major constraint for doctoral students' progress. Authentication access and licence limitations to subscription-based resources, such as e-journals, are particularly problematic.
• Open access and copyright appear to be a source of confusion for Generation Y doctoral students, rather than encouraging innovation and collaborative research.
• This generation of doctoral students operate in an environment where their research behaviour does not use the full potential of innovative technology.
• Doctoral students are insufficiently trained or informed to be able to fully embrace the latest opportunities in the digital information environment.

For further information go to JISC or you can listen to a podcast with Julie Carpenter, the report author.