Comparing International Students’ Information Behaviour Research in Global North and Global South: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Research on international students’ information behaviour has significantly developed, mainly in the Global North and leaving the Global South underexplored. This review analyses 60 publications in five languages (English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Indonesian) from four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar). This study identifies nine sub-topics within the research, with a predominant focus on the Global North. Several topics for further investigation include online information behaviour, cultural diversity, the role of institutions, health information, digital journeys, and information sharing. The findings also highlight differences between the Global North and the Global South due to factors like IT infrastructure and sociocultural situations. This review emphasises the need for further exploration in the context of the Global South. This work contributes to a nuanced understanding of international students’ information behaviour and its broader implications.

Keywords

International students information behaviours systematic review bibliometrics analysis global south

Introduction

The number of international students studying abroad has significantly increased, with their destinations expanding beyond the Global North to encompass the Global South. While the Global North countries still dominate as popular destinations for international students, there is increased interest in the Global South (Cheng, 2021; Prazeres, 2017). China has become a popular destination for international students from the Global South. In 2022, it was ranked as the eighth top host destination for international students, with a 4% share (Project Atlas, 2020). Furthermore, the same data reveals that Argentina also gained popularity, ranking 12^th with a 2% share. Additionally, Malaysia, Brazil, and Indonesia have emerged as burgeoning destinations for international students, experiencing significant enrolment growth in recent years and positioning themselves as key players in their respective regions (Ahmad & Buchanan, 2016; Cynthia & Chong, 2023; Diniz & Noels, 2021; OECD, 2023).

International education in the Global South presents some key differences from the Global North. For example, language barriers present a significant challenge, especially due to exposure to information primarily in local languages (Fadhli et al., 2023; Hertzum & Hyldegård, 2019). In academic settings, such as academic libraries, the limited availability of textbooks in English and the lack of staff proficiency in English create language barriers in accessing information (Nzivo & Chuanfu, 2013; Otike et al., 2022). Moreover, accessibility to international academic publications in the Global South can vary widely, influenced by factors like institutional subscriptions, English language proficiency, and the financial resources available at the institutional level (Adebisi et al., 2024; Beiter, 2023). In some institutions, academic communities benefit from good access to international publications, while in others, challenges related to cost, infrastructure, and language can significantly limit access. Besides, cultural differences and various technological infrastructures also contribute to how international students might access information for academic development, everyday living, and well-being.

Within the field of information behaviour, which examines how individuals need, seek, give and use information in various contexts (Pettigrew et al., 2001; Wilson, 2000), researchers have also increasingly focused on international students as a distinct group of interest (Case, 2012). They are actively and passively involved in information seeking to meet their information needs. For instance, international students use various information sources, such as search engines and libraries, to complete their assignments as active information seeking. While adapting to an unfamiliar environment, they may engage in passive information-seeking. They may find information without actively searching for it (Oh et al., 2014).

Information behaviour encompasses activities beyond information seeking and searching, including serendipitous or encountering information, information use, sharing, organising, and evaluation (Ford, 2015). Information behaviour also encompasses traditional approaches, such as face-to-face interactions or the use of physical information materials like books, and information behaviour through digital channels, referred to as online information behaviour.

Studying international students’ information behaviour not only enriches our understanding of this specific group but also benefits international education (Gomes & Chang, 2016). Insights gained can inform the design of more effective educational programs and support services for universities and institutions (Bukhari et al., 2018b), enhancing the international student's experience. Moreover, research on information behaviour can also offer valuable lessons for higher education institutions worldwide, helping them better prepare for and support the influx of international students.

This study is underpinned by foundational information behaviour theory (Wilson, 2000), which explores how people interact with information. While we acknowledge significant cultural differences between Global North and South contexts (as established in our literature review), we incorporate cultural adaptation theory (Berry, 1997), not to compare cultures but to understand how all international students develop strategies for navigating unfamiliar information environments when crossing borders. Additionally, information ecology theory (Nardi & O'Day, 1999) underscores how technological infrastructures (e.g., digital platforms and institutional resources) mediate access to information. Together, these theories provide a multidimensional lens: cultural adaptation theory helps explain students’ adaptive behaviours in new environments, while information ecology theory reveals how structural factors (e.g., IT infrastructure) shape these adaptations.

Moreover, this research recognizes that all international students, regardless of their cultural background, face fundamental challenges when accessing information in new environments. Whether moving from South to North or between different technological landscapes, students must develop strategies to bridge gaps between their existing information practices and new environmental demands. We focus on these universal adaptation processes rather than on direct cultural comparisons. By combining these theories, we adopt an interdisciplinary lens to analyse international students’ information behaviour across different contexts. This approach addresses our two research questions:

What are the prevalent themes and emerging areas in research on international students’ information behaviour, considering the Global North and South context?

How do international students’ information behaviour differ between the Global North and Global South contexts?

To gain a comprehensive understanding of international students’ diverse information behaviour landscapes, necessitates a comprehensive mapping of existing research across both contexts. This mapping is crucial for understanding the information behaviour landscape and informing future research efforts. Therefore, this study aims to achieve two key objectives. Firstly, map information behaviour research topics through graphic visualisation. This study will visually represent interrelated topics, dominant themes, and underexplored areas using bibliometrics methods. Secondly, compare the research on international students’ information behaviour in both contexts. This will identify potential biases or gaps in the research focus between both contexts.

This study employs a systematic review to synthesise existing research to identify key patterns, trends, and gaps in the current literature. We will utilise relevant databases and established search strategies to identify and analyse peer-reviewed studies on international students’ information behaviour research. By addressing the research gap in our understanding of information behaviour in both contexts, this study can significantly improve support services for international students, ultimately fostering their academic success and integration into their new environments.

Methods

This study employed a systematic literature review (SLR) following the PRISMA 2020 protocol (Page et al., 2021). PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) is a widely accepted guideline for conducting systematic reviews, ensuring transparency, reproducibility, and methodological rigor. The PRISMA process involves four key stages: identification, screening, eligibility assessment, and inclusion. These stages were rigorously followed to ensure a comprehensive and unbiased analysis of the literature.

To balance the coverage of Global North and South scholarship, four databases were utilized. First, Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and PubMed for English-language publications reflect their dominance in Global North research. Second, Google Scholar for non-English publications in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese and Indonesian, selected to represent major Global South regions (e.g., Latin America for Spanish/Portuguese and East and Southeast Asia for Chinese/Indonesian). While these databases are widely adopted, their uneven indexing of regional journals, particularly from the Global South, may limit representativeness. Scopus, WoS, and PubMed are heavily skewed toward English-language and Global North publications, which may exacerbate the underrepresentation of the Global South context in the literature. Therefore, Google Scholar's broader coverage of non-indexed publications partially mitigates this limitation.

The study focused on publication in five languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Indonesian. These languages were selected to represent key Global South education hubs with significant inbound international student populations. English was retained due to its dominance in international education, while Chinese reflects China's role as the eighth-largest host of international students globally (Project Atlas, 2020). Spanish and Portuguese align with Latin America's growing appeal (ICEF Monitor, 2022), and Indonesia represents Southeast Asia, where countries like Malaysia and Indonesia have emerged as education hubs (Ahmad & Buchanan, 2016; Cynthia & Chong, 2023). However, the exclusion of Arabic (critical for the Middle East and North Africa) and French (widely used in Francophone Africa) highlights a need for broader linguistic inclusivity. This limitation was necessitated by practical constraints, including limited access to translation resources and the need to focus on regions with the most significant inbound international student populations. To mitigate this limitation, Google Scholar was utilized to capture non-indexed publications in non-English languages, and non-English articles were reviewed in collaboration with native speakers to ensure accurate interpretation. While these efforts partially address the limitation, the exclusion of certain languages remains a constraint that future research should aim to overcome. Future studies could address this gap by expanding the language scope through collaboration with multilingual scholars or leveraging machine translation tools. Additionally, incorporating region-specific databases like SciELO (for Latin America) or AJOL (for Africa) could enhance the representation of Global South scholarship and provide a more comprehensive understanding of international students’ information behaviour across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts.

Search Strategy and Selection Process

The search string retrieval process began with two main keywords: “international students” and “information behaviour”. Based on those keywords, authors developed the final search string using Boolean search terms as follows:

(“international students” OR “foreign students” OR “overseas students” OR “students abroad” OR “exchange students”) AND (“information behaviour” OR “information seeking” OR “information practices” OR “information worlds” OR “information sharing” OR “information needs” OR “accessing information” OR “digital journey”)

Searches were conducted between August and October 2023, encompassing all publication years, to avoid temporal bias.

After removing duplicates using EndNote reference management software, the researchers screened the titles and abstracts of the remaining records. Relevant records were then retrieved for full-text review. Full texts of potentially relevant articles were then assessed against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Articles were included if they 1) focused on information behaviour, 2) pertained to international students in academic or everyday life contexts, 3) were peer-reviewed articles or conference proceedings, and 4) were published in English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Indonesian. Articles were excluded if they were non-peer-reviewed (e.g., editorials, opinion pieces) or fell outside the specified document types (e.g., books, theses).

After the full-text review, articles underwent a quality assessment (QA) process to ensure the reliability and validity of the included studies. QA assessed six aspects: research background, topics, methods, data collection, analysis, and results. Studies were scored on a scale of 0 to 2 for each aspect, with a total score of 7 or higher considered medium and high quality. Studies scoring below 6 were classified as low quality and excluded from analysis. This process ensured that only medium and high-quality studies were included in the final review.

PRISMA Flow

The final selection of articles was included in the review, with the PRISMA flow diagram (Figure 1) illustrating the number of records identified, screened, excluded, and included at each stage. This structured approach ensured a transparent and replicable selection process.

Figure 1.

Flow diagram of the SLR process.

The identification process, which was based on four different databases, resulted in a total of 243 publications. Duplicates were removed to avoid analysing the same articles multiple times. The screening process began with a review of the title and abstract of each record (Page et al., 2021). Any publication that did not meet the inclusion criteria was excluded, excluding 170 records. After the screening process, an attempt was made to retrieve the literature from databases. However, ten records were found to be unretrievable. Subsequently, the eligibility of the remaining 110 publications was assessed through a full-text review using the inclusion criteria. Of these, 39 publications did not meet the inclusion criteria upon full-text review. Meanwhile, the remaining 71 articles were further analysed in the subsequent stage.

The next step in this review involved quality assessment (QA) of selected articles. QA not only helps provide considerations regarding the importance of the articles but also guides the analysis of research results and identifies the strength of conclusions while investigating differences in the quality of each research outcome (Kitchenham & Charters, 2007). QA assesses six aspects: research background, topics, methods, data collection, analysis, and results. The QA process refers to the QA schema (Nidhra et al., 2013). The QA process involves assigning scores to each item. If a study fully satisfies an item, 2 points are awarded. If a study partly complies with an item, it scores 1. However, if a study does not satisfy an item, it receives 0 points. Studies with scores greater than or equal to 7 are considered high quality. Medium-quality scores are 6, and scores below six are classified as the low-quality group, which will be eliminated from the analysis. After QA was conducted, eleven studies belonging to the low-quality group were eliminated. Finally, 60 articles are included in this systematic review. The process of searching, screening, and quality assessment for non-English literature is conducted by the authors together with an expert in the field of information systems who is a native speaker of each language.

Bibliometrics and Thematic Analysis

Furthermore, this study employed bibliometric analysis to examine the evolving research (Ellegaard & Wallin, 2015). This analysis focused on keyword co-occurrence and thematic evolution over time, generating graphical visualizations that illustrate dominance, trends, and interconnections among various sub-topics within international students’ information behaviour research. Finally, a thematic analysis was conducted on the identified topics to provide a comprehensive understanding of the field.

Findings

This systematic review identified 60 publications discussing international students’ information behaviour across Global North and South. The analysis revealed several key trends, thematic focuses, geographic distributions, and notable gaps in the literature.

Publication Trends

The publication trend indicates a steady increase in research interest since 2007, with the highest number of studies (9) published in 2015 (see Figure 2). However, the overall volume of publications remains relatively low, suggesting that this field is still emerging. The majority of studies (52) were published in English, with a small number in Chinese (2), Indonesian (3), Portuguese (1) and Spanish (2). This language distribution highlights the dominance of English-language scholarship, which may inadvertently marginalize research from non-English-speaking regions, particularly in the Global South.

Figure 2.

Publication trend.

Thematic Analysis

To identify research trends, bibliometrics analysis was conducted using VOSviewer based on the keywords of each article. The visualisation will show the interrelation of topics and the novelty of the research topics. The colours represent the level of keyword novelty. New terms are represented in yellow, while old terms are represented in purple (Van Eck & Waltman, 2020). Figure 3 illustrate the research trends over time.

Figure 3.

Overlay visualisation

Based on Figure 3, the research trends in international student information behaviour evolve over time. Initially, studies focused on topics such as acculturation, information services, library services, information dissemination, and internet usage (highlighted in purple circle). These early studies were predominantly conducted in the Global North, particularly North America and the United States.

As the field developed, researchers began to explore other information behaviour areas, including information sources, information use and retrieval (in dark green), health information seeking, higher education, information sharing and online information (in light green). This phase broadens the research scope to encompass a wider variety of information behaviours relevant to international students.

In recent years, the research has shifted to include contemporary topics such as social media, digital journeys, and the impact of COVID-19 (in yellow). These new areas reflect the changing landscape of information behaviour due to technological advancements and global events, highlighting the dynamic nature of the field and its responsiveness to current issues.

Moreover, research on international students’ information behaviour began with a traditional approach, focusing on how international students fulfil their information needs with physical information materials or face-to-face interactions. This early research predominantly covered topics such as ISB within academic library contexts and the process of adaptation and acculturation. These foundational studies laid the groundwork for understanding the basic information needs, ISB and challenges faced by international students.

As the field progressed, it adapted to the increasing digitalisation of information environments. Recent research has emphasised the importance of online information behaviour, examining how international students interact with digital platforms and resources in the digital environment. This shift acknowledges the growing relevance of digital information sources and the need to understand how students navigate these environments.

By outlining these phases, Figure 3 illustrates how research on international students’ information behaviour has evolved from foundational topics to more current and technologically influenced themes, showing a progression in the depth and breadth of the field.

Research Themes

We identified and categorised themes from each analysed article, noting that many articles encompassed multiple themes. Specifically, research on international students’ information behaviour revealed nine main themes. The themes are described in Table 1 below.

Table 1.

Themes in International Students’ Information Behaviour Research.

Themes	Description
Academic Libraries	Research that explores information seeking and use in the context of academic libraries
Information needs	Identification of international students’ information needs in a particular environment
Everyday life information seeking (ELIS)	The ways international students use various information sources to meet their information needs in non-academic related areas or everyday life, such as financial, sociocultural, etc.
Information sources	The main resources that international students rely on to meet their information needs and fulfil their academic requirements.
ICTs and social media	The use and link between information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as the Internet and social media, to their ISB.
Wandering and encountering information	Wandering focuses on exploring a new environment randomly without a clear purpose, while encountering refers to the experience of finding information unintentionally while wandering. These terms relate to information serendipity
Health information	Information seeking related to health and wellness, including health risks and illnesses
Digital journeys	Digital transition experience of international students in the digital environment and its relation to their ISB.
Information sharing	The practice of international students exchanging or disseminating information within academic and everyday contexts.

International Students’ Characteristics

Research in both academic and practical contexts often generalize international students as a homogenous group, which neglects these students’ diverse cultural backgrounds and unique experiences. However, existing studies, as shown in Figure 2, have started to focus on groups of international students, notably those from Chinese, Korean, and Saudi backgrounds. These students represent a significant cohort in host countries and have been the subject of detailed research. The studies highlighted and had implications for the information behaviour of international students from the Global South, such as China, Korea, and Saudi Arabia, adapting to and navigating to Global North environments such as the United States and Australia (Binsahl et al., 2020; Chen & Brown, 2012; Ling & Tran, 2015; Lu, 2015; Yoon & Kim, 2014).

Geographic Distributions

The research settings of all subsequent publications are identified and categorised into Global North, Global South, and Unclassified categories. The “unclassified” category includes publications that were not conducted in the Global North or Global South. These publications typically consist of systematic or literature reviews. Table 2 displays the categorisation of research settings.

Table 2.

Categorisation of Research Settings.

Research settings	Number of articles
Global North	44
Global South	13
Unclassified	3
Total	60

Table 2 highlights that the research on this topic is predominantly conducted in the Global North. Specifically, the research in the Global North encompasses all the topics in international students’ information behaviour, as detailed in Table 1. In contrast, studies in the Global South are limited to only a few topics, such as academic libraries, information needs, ELIS, information sources, ICTs, social media, and information sharing. In detail, the comparison between research in the Global North and Global South is presented in Appendix 1.

Comparative Analysis: Global North vs. Global South

A comparative analysis revealed significant differences in information behaviour between the Global North and South, driven by IT infrastructure and sociocultural factors. In the Global North, advanced IT infrastructure facilitates online information behaviour, with students relying heavily on digital platforms such as social media, mobile apps, and online health resources. For instance, research related to the use of the Internet for obtaining online health information (Chang, Kuang et al., 2022b; Yoon & Kim, 2014), for seeking information during times of crisis (Lu et al., 2007; Wang & Chang, 2022), utilisation of social media in everyday life information seeking (Binsahl et al., 2015; Chang, Gomes et al., 2022a; Sin, 2015), the utilisation of mobile maps or online communities as information sources (Oh & Butler, 2019; Oh & Butler, 2015), and studies on the use of multiple ecologies in interacting with misinformation (Bahl et al., 2022). In contrast, although international students have incorporated social media into their information behaviour (Bukhari et al., 2018a; Bukhari et al., 2020), research shows that limited IT access in the Global South often forces students to rely on traditional information sources, such as academic libraries and face-to-face interactions (Eviliyana, 2015; Fadhli & Kurnia, 2016; Natalie et al., 2018a).

Sociocultural influences also play a critical role. In the Global North, studies highlights how students often engage in independent information seeking through digital platforms (Chung & Yoon, 2015; MacPhail & Stratten, 2023; Sin & Kim, 2013). In contrast, studies in the Global South reported that students frequently draw on peer networks and social connections for information sharing and cultural adjustment (Natalie et al., 2018b). Additionally, institutional support varies significantly between the two contexts. In the Global North, universities provide robust support through academic libraries and other platforms, while in the Global South, students often turn to informal networks for everyday needs.

Discussion

This review reveals how structural inequities and cultural norms intersect to shape divergent information behaviours between Global North and Global South contexts. In the Global North, students’ reliance on digital platforms (e.g., social media and online health resources) reflects not only advanced IT infrastructure but also the individualism embedded in institutional support systems, a dynamic aligning with concepts by Nardi and O'Day (1999) about information ecologies as hierarchically structured systems. These ecologies prioritize autonomy, with universities assuming students will independently navigate digital tools. By contrast, in the Global South, limited digital access and structural constraints foster information interdependency, where peer networks replace institutional channels (Fadhli et al., 2025). These disparities expose a contradiction: while Northern institutions presume digital literacy, Southern students curate informal systems to compensate for fragmented infrastructure, a resilience strategy largely invisible in dominant literature.

These structural inequities and cultural factors can be further contextualised through the information-seeking behaviour model by Wilson (1997) that emphasises how environmental context, social role, and access to information sources contribute to individuals’ information behaviour. In the Global South, such factors as inadequate digital infrastructure, language mismatches, and limited institutional support contribute to the barrier to information seeking.

One contributing factor is the dominance of English in academic publishing, which not only limits the visibility of research conducted in other languages but also narrows the conceptual framing of information behaviour that is predominantly derived from the Global North settings, often overlooking collective, contextual, or informal practices more common in the Global South. This oversight is evident in critical disparities in research attention. While health information seeking has been extensively studied in Western contexts (e.g., Wang & Chang's 2022 work on international students’ health information seeking during the pandemic), this vital topic remains unexplored in Global South settings. This gap reflects a concerning blind spot, as access to accurate health information is equally crucial for students navigating unfamiliar healthcare systems in developing countries. In parallel, the digital journeys of students (Chang & Gomes, 2017) adopting and adapting to new digital environments (e.g., Gojek in Indonesia or Grab in Malaysia) remain underexplored despite representing a fundamental aspect of their information ecologies. These gaps highlight how Global South students’ most pressing information challenges continue to be overlooked in academic literature.

The one-sided focus on students from the Global South adapting to Western institutions risks oversimplifying international education frameworks. Conversely, the experiences of Western students navigating higher education systems in the Global South remain underexplored. Similarly, South-South mobility (e.g., Thai students in Indonesia) presents unique challenges where shared cultural norms (e.g., communal information sharing) coexist with divergent digital landscapes. Without context-specific frameworks, institutions risk overlooking critical adaptation dynamics, such as balancing local digital norms with home-country practices.

Moreover, research on international students’ information behaviour often ignores key institutions like governments and local communities. This oversight creates disconnected policies that directly shape how students seek information. For example, when universities or governments fail to provide reliable support, students may turn to informal peer networks, a behaviour that reflects the social dimension of adaptation processes discussed by Berry (1997). However, this reliance on peers also exposes system-wide gaps in how information is accessed (Nardi & O'Day, 1999), such as poor internet infrastructure or a lack of collaboration between institutions. Future studies should explore how partnerships (e.g., governments, NGOs, and tech companies) could improve these practices. For instance, creating multilingual digital platforms tailored to local languages could transform how students in the Global South search for academic or everyday life information, rather than applying Northern solutions without local adaptation.

Practical Implications

The findings of this review offer actionable insights for universities and policymakers. First, building supportive online communities for international students’ digital transition can ease their adaptation to new digital environments. Second, design culturally tailored platforms (e.g., multilingual websites, alumni networks) to support peer-driven information sharing. Third, develop cross-institutional collaborations (e.g., universities and governments) to combat misinformation and streamline support services. Lastly, prioritize research on bidirectional cultural adaptation to refine institutional frameworks. These strategies, grounded in the review's findings, can enhance institutional support systems and foster equitable academic integration.

Limitations

This study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the reliance on databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, which predominantly index Global North scholarship, may have led to an underrepresentation of Global South contexts. While we mitigated this bias by including Google Scholar (to capture non-English publications), its less rigorous indexing standards compared to curated databases could have resulted in omissions. Future studies could strengthen this approach by incorporating region-specific platforms like SciELO for Latin America or AJOL for Africa. Second, the limitation stems from the language scope, which was limited to English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Indonesian. While these languages represent major educational hubs, the exclusion of Arabic, French, and other languages likely underrepresented perspectives from regions like Francophone Africa and the Middle East. This constraint highlights the need for either broader linguistic inclusion in future research or explicit caution when generalizing findings. Finally, the findings of this study should be interpreted with the understanding that the reliance on Global North databases and the exclusion of certain languages may have led to an overrepresentation of Global North perspectives. This could limit the generalizability of the results, particularly regarding the experiences of students in the Global South. Future research should include a broader range of languages and utilize region-specific databases to ensure a more comprehensive representation of Global South scholarship.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this review exposes how structural inequities in research production continue a narrow understanding of international students’ information behaviours. While studies from the Global North dominate the literature, critical areas like health information seeking, digital transitions to local platforms, and bidirectional cultural adaptation remain overlooked in Southern contexts. These gaps are compounded by methodological biases: our reliance on English-language databases likely excluded adaptive strategies from specific regions like Francophone Africa or the Arab world. Moving forward, future studies must partner with Southern universities/researchers to co-design research agendas and leverage Southern databases to counter publication biases. Collectively, these gaps reveal more than just oversight; they represent a systemic marginalization of Southern contexts that demands both scholarly and institutional transformation.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan), Ministry of Finance, The Republic of Indonesia, for providing a PhD Scholarship to the first author. We are also grateful to Bing-yi Han and Dr. Eduardo Araujo Oliveira from the School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, for their valuable assistance in collecting and analysing publications in Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

ORCID iDs

Rahmat Fadhli

Shanton Chang

Antonette Mendoza

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes

Author Biographies

Rahmat Fadhli is a PhD candidate at the School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Australia. His research focuses on the information behaviour of international students and their digital journeys, particularly in Global South contexts.

Shanton Chang, PhD, is a Professor at the School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Australia. He studies information behaviour in the domains of health and education. He is also the Program Lead for Digital Access and Equity and the Melbourne Social Equity Institute.

Antonette Mendoza, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests are in technology appropriation, including the development and implementation of emerging ICT to support adoption, adaptation, and longer-term use.

Appendix 1. Dominant themes in international students’ information behaviour research

Theme(s)	Global North		Global South		Conceptual or Literature Review
Theme(s)	NoA	Main Ideas	NoA	Main Ideas	NoA	Main Ideas
Academic Libraries	11	The study analyses the behaviour of international students when it comes to seeking and utilising information within academic libraries. The research emphasises how their past experiences in their home countries affect their approach to information seeking and use within the library and their English proficiency.	5	The research explores their obstacles while seeking information through academic libraries. These challenges include insufficient information provided in English by academic libraries, inadequacies of staff in serving international students, and difficulties in accessing library technologies such as websites.	N/A	N/A
Information needs	13	The study explores information needs in various environmental contexts, both in academic libraries and everyday life, in a balanced manner. Some specific information needs are career and professional development, immigration regulations, travel and recreation, local news and interpersonal relationships.	3	Research tends to explore the information needs of international students in academic contexts, such as for completing assignments or in academic libraries. The need for information about local culture is a priority for international students.	1	International students’ information needs are categorised through a literature review: academic-related, financial-related, sociocultural-related, and health-related.
Everyday life information seeking (ELIS)	10	International students are actively involved in information-seeking in everyday life. Information seeking and needs are shaped not only by universities but also by cross-cultural, personal, and situational issues. Limited information in everyday life causes stress for international students, the same as in the academic context.	1	Language barriers and lack of technology impact international students’ information behaviour	N/A	N/A
Information sources	13	To fulfil their information needs, international students utilise various information sources. International students tend to utilise information resources related to information technology tools such as search engines, websites, online maps, and social networking sites rather than other sources of information.	3	International students still actively use and rely on interpersonal information sources. Also, they are actively involved in the decision-making process in selecting interpersonal information sources. Academic libraries are also still listed as one of the main sources of information for international students.	N/A	N/A
ICTs and social media	6	ICTs and social media play crucial roles in information seeking for international students. Generally, they will transition into new digital environments, mainly social media. This digital environment will impact the adaptation, posing challenges in their information-seeking endeavours.	6	Several studies are interconnected to develop a comprehensive model that considers the role of social media alongside traditional information sources like search engines and face-to-face interactions, providing valuable insights for educational institutions and practitioners in catering to the diverse needs of international student populations.	2	Social media has three roles in information seeking: social interaction, information source and education advocacy. Transition to new social media makes them vulnerable to misinformation.
Wandering and encountering information	2	It highlights how individuals navigate their new environments through aimless exploration, leading to the incidental acquisition of local knowledge, which has implications for understanding information-seeking patterns and designing supportive systems for newcomers’ adjustment.	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Health information	8	International students are actively seeking information about their own and their families’ health and health insurance through various media, with social media being the primary source. Language barriers and low health literacy also pose challenges when seeking information. Based on several studies, universities are encouraged to offer health information services that provide reliable and trustworthy information.	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Digital journeys	2	The nature of the social network of international students in the host country and international students’ cultural backgrounds impact their digital journeys.	N/A	N/A	2	International students experience challenges adapting to new digital environments while maintaining connections with their home country's digital culture.
Information sharing	2	Information sharing supports international students’ informational, social and emotional needs.	1	Factors such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and technological innovation have a positive and significant impact on the attitudes and behaviours of international students regarding information sharing through the adoption of social media platforms.	N/A	N/A

*NoA = Number of articles.

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