Examining the Effect of Knowledge Seeking on Knowledge Contribution in Q&A Communities.

Junping Qiu, Qinze Mi, Zhongyang Xu, Shihao Ma, Yutian Fu, Tingyong Zhang

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Junping QiuSchool of Management, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.

Qinze MiSchool of Management, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.ORCID 0009-0002-9084-767X

Zhongyang XuSchool of Information Management, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8749-7547

Shihao MaKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, China.

Yutian FuSchool of Management, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.

Tingyong ZhangSchool of Management, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.

Funding

National Social Science Foundation of China 19ZDA348

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Based on motivational theory, this study investigated the effect of users' knowledge seeking on users' knowledge contribution in question-and-answer (Q&A) communities. We collected 4643 samples from the largest social Q&A platform in China (Zhihu) and applied a mediation effect test to the data. The results showed that knowledge seeking affects intrinsic motivations (altruism and self-efficacy) and extrinsic motivations (social support, group identity, and reputation), further affecting knowledge contribution. Our findings indicated that Q&A communities should be concerned with users' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to ensure balanced knowledge exchange on social Q&A platforms, ultimately fostering long-term stability and growth. Existing research has mainly focused on a single behavioral state, such as knowledge seeking or knowledge contribution, and has paid little attention to the connection between these two types of user information behaviors. This study aimed to fill this gap by revealing the mechanisms through which users' knowledge seeking affects their knowledge contribution.

Indexed as

knowledge contributionknowledge seekingmotivational theoryQ&A communities

Identifiers

PMID39336068

DOI10.3390/bs14090853

PMCPMC11429281

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.