Evaluating User Expectations and Satisfaction with the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) Services: An Application of the Kano Model

Objective: This study aimed to identify the expectations and satisfaction levels of PhD students in Humanities at Shiraz University regarding the services of the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC), utilizing the Kano model. Methodology: In terms of purpose, this study is applied; in terms of nature, it is exploratory; and regarding data collection, it is a descriptive-survey research. The statistical population consisted of all PhD students enrolled in the Humanities faculties of Shiraz University (N=528), with a sample size of 265 participants. The data collection tool was a researcher-made, dual-query questionnaire based on the Kano model. Its face and content validity were confirmed by experts in Library and Information Science, and its reliability was verified using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α=0.85). The collected data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS software. Findings: Among the 15 expectations examined, respondents categorized four expectations as Basic (Providing journal impact factors, providing citation information, providing view and download counts for each article), five expectations as Performance (Providing journal information by subject, holding online training workshops, providing information on reputable conferences, providing lists of highly-cited authors, and providing full-text articles for download), and six expectations as Attractive (Introducing universities and research institutions in Islamic countries and their contact details, introducing accredited journals for publishing articles derived from PhD theses, providing online expert support, showcasing the scientific output of PhD students in Islamic countries, holding in-person training workshops, and providing abstracts of foreign-language articles in Persian). Conclusion: It is essential for the managers of the ISC to understand the expectations and gauge the satisfaction of their student users. It is recommended that future service development plans and revisions take into account the full spectrum of these user expectations (Basic, Performance, and Attractive).