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Citation analysis of theses and dissertations submitted to the Tshwane University of Technology: 2004 - 2005

Citation analysis of theses and dissertations submitted to the Tshwane University of Technology: 2004 - 2005. Adriaan Swanepoel swanepoelaj@tut.ac.za. Outline. Background Research problem Research design Results Problems and limitations Advantages of citation analysis

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Citation analysis of theses and dissertations submitted to the Tshwane University of Technology: 2004 - 2005

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  1. Citation analysis of theses and dissertations submitted to the Tshwane University of Technology: 2004 - 2005 Adriaan Swanepoel swanepoelaj@tut.ac.za

  2. Outline • Background • Research problem • Research design • Results • Problems and limitations • Advantages of citation analysis • Significance of the study

  3. Background

  4. Research problem • How does the use of information sources by master’s and doctoral (M&D) students differ between the faculties of TUT, and to what extent does the Library and Information Services provide access to a subset (journals) of the information sources that are mostly used by M&D students?

  5. Sub-problems • Which types of information sources do M&D students of different faculties use most and least, and to what extent does it change from year to year? • Which journals do M&D students of different faculties use most and least, and to what extent does it change from year to year? • To what extent does the LIS keep or provide access to the journals that are mostly used by M&D students?

  6. Research design • Nature: Longitudinal • Data sources: All TUT theses since 2004 • Timeframe: Retrospective • Data collection: Per faculty a. Number of citations per information type b. Number of citations per thesis c. Number of theses per subject discipline d. Frequency of journal titles cited e. Cited journals owned by the library • Method: Citation counting

  7. Method • Analysis and measurement (counting) of citations according to predetermined and well-defined categories • Quantification and ordering/ranking of the categorized units • Analysis and comparison of attained data • Interpretation of the data insofar as research questions are concerned

  8. Total theses, faculties, etc. (2004 – May 2005) Number of theses 93 Number of dissertations 11 Submitted in 2004 63 Submitted up to May 2005 41 Faculties 11 Departments 40 Subjects (CESM categories*) 33 *Council on Higher Education. Classification of Educational Subject Matter

  9. Theses, dissertations per faculty • Agricultural Sciences 8 • Arts 5 • Business School 2 • Economic Sciences 3 • Education 22 • Engineering 13 • Health Sciences 14 • Information and Communication Technology 7 • Management Sciences 7 • Natural Sciences 8 • Social Sciences 16

  10. Information sources cited • Sound recordings, TV and film 4 • Personal communication 132 • Electronic 697 • Paper 7141 TOTAL 7974

  11. Material types cited % N Books 38.80 3094 Journals 36.47 2908 Web sites & CD-ROMs 7.71 615 Govt. Publications 4.82 384 Proceedings/papers 3.11 248 Theses/Dissertations 1.86 148 Personal communication 1.44 115 NGO Reports 1.04 83

  12. Material types cited % N Newspapers 1.00 80 Technical data 0.23 18 Patents 0.08 6 Radio, TV, film, video 0.06 5 Maps 0.03 2 Sound recordings 0.01 1 Scores 0.00 0 Graphic illustrations 0.00 0

  13. Material types cited % N Other 3.05 243 Comic books 0.41 33

  14. Use of journals, books, web sites & CD-ROM • Average number of citations per thesis

  15. Use of journals, books, web sites & CD-ROM • Average number of citations per thesis

  16. Use of theses/dissertations, technical data and patents • Average number of citations per thesis

  17. Journals used per faculty • Faculty of Natural Sciences

  18. Journals used per faculty • Faculty of Health Sciences

  19. Journals cited Jnl titles cited Frequency 1088 1 – 4 71 5 – 9 23 10 - 14 3 15 – 19 5 20 – 24 2 25 – 29 3 30 – 34 2 35 – 39 2 40 – 44 0 45 – 64 1 65 – 69

  20. Journals cited Jnl titles cited Frequency LIS Holdings 1088 1 – 4 not yet determined 71 5 – 9 12 23 10 - 14 7 3 15 – 19 1 5 20 – 24 4 2 25 – 29 0 3 30 – 34 1 2 35 – 39 1 2 40 – 44 1 0 45 – 64 0 1 65 – 69 1

  21. Problems and limitations • Researchers are more likely to use materials to which they have local access • Citations may be added to increase the thesis’ length and scholarly appearance • Researchers may cite works of marginal importance • Researchers may not cite all works used to prepare the thesis • Handbooks and textbooks often do not receive citations as they are taken for granted by students. Sylvia,1998:20-28

  22. Advantages • Citation analysis provides an unobtrusive method of obtaining data on which information resources are being used • By using citations from theses and dissertations as data sources, even relative inexperienced researchers can gather the data easily and comprehensively • Citation analysis is a method that avoids voluntary submission of data, “researchers can actually gather a true population of citations” (Zipp,1996:341)

  23. Significance of the study

  24. Adriaan Swanepoel Acting Director Library and Information Services (Pretoria Campus) Tshwane University of Technology South Africa swanepoelaj@tut.ac.za We empower people

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