ArticlePloS one2026
"I Still Need Your Help": Online information seeking behavior of International Students in the United States on Reddit.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Examining women's experiences with medication abortion: a critical inquiry of women's online narratives post-Dobbs.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study examines the online information-seeking behavior of international students in the United States. Following the onset of COVID-19, their need for timely and relevant information becomes critical. Despite greater challenges than domestic students, limited research explores how international students use online platforms to meet their unique information needs. With online communities being essential sources of information and bridges for online social capital, our study analyzes the r/f1visa subreddit to examine international students' information-seeking patterns before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we identify unmet information needs through members' interactions and recurring questions. Our analysis reveals a shift in topics, with pandemic discussions focusing on travel, financial difficulties, and entry concerns, while pre-pandemic conversations primarily about employment. The increased similarity among recurring questions during the pandemic suggests a convergence of shared struggles that fosters solidarity and emotional support, even as many informational needs remain inadequately addressed. By examining international students' information needs through the theoretical lens of online social capital, this study contributes to understanding how crisis conditions reshape the dynamics of online communities, blurring traditional distinctions between bonding and bridging capital. The findings can inform universities, policymakers, and online community designers in developing more responsive and inclusive information environments that recognize both the instrumental and emotional support functions of digital platforms for international students.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.