CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISSERTATIONS PRODUCED ON THE MASTER’S DEGREE COURSE IN INFORMATION SCIENCE AT UFPB

Abstract

An analysis of 69 dissertations from the Master’s Degree Course in Information Science at the Federal University of Paraiba (CMCI/UFPB), produced in the period from 1981 to 1988. It employs the methodology developed by Oliveira (1998) when studying research projects in the field of Library and Information Science (BCI), financed by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). It uses as categories of analysis formal aspects of the dissertations: cover page, abstract, presentation of aims and research problem, indication of the supervisor, amongst others. And aspects related to contents: theoretical framework, principal concepts, national and international authors who provide the theoretical foundation, literature review and methodologies employed. It concludes that the production of the Master’s Degree Course presents positive contributions. However, in some aspects there is a need for adjustments, amongst which we include: qualification of faculty at doctorate level; concentration of the lines of research on the themes of Library and Information Science; and establishing criteria to attract supervisors from other fields truly interested in the question of information.