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Profiling PhD DissertationBibliographies:Anne L. Buchanan BS, MA, MLS a & Jean-Pierre V M HerubelBA, MA, PhD, MLS ba Assistant Management and Economics Librarianb Philosophy and Political Science BibliographerPublished online: 18 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Anne L. Buchanan BS, MA, MLS & Jean-Pierre V M Herubel BA, MA, PhD,MLS (1994) Profiling PhD Dissertation Bibliographies:, Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian,13:1, 1-10, DOI: 10.1300/J103v13n01_01

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ARTICLES

Profiling PhD Dissertation Bibliographies:

Serials and Collection Development in Political Science

Anne L. Buchanan Jean-Pierre V. M. Herubel

ABSTRACT. Political science doctoral dissertation bibliographies were examined for types of materials used in advanced graduate research. Following patterns established in other social science disci- plines, political science dissertations use materials indicative of their disciplinary interest and are journal and serials dependent. It is sug- gested that collection development can benefit from a limited cita- tion analysis of doctoral dissertation research.

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Anne L. Buchanan is Assistant Management and Economics Librarian, holds a BS in Business Administration from Marian College, an MLS from Indiana University, and an MA in Public Administration from Mankato State University. She is a member of A.L.A. Jean-Piene V. M. Herubel is Philosophy and Political Science Bibliographer. holds a BA and an MA in European History from Penn State University and PhD in European Intellectual and Cultural History and a MLS from Kent State University. He is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, Phi Sigma Tau, and A.L.A.

Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, Vol. 13(1) 1994 @ 1994 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. I

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2 BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES LIBRARIAN

Academic disciplines form the universe of higher education through which students and scholars alike are acculturated. Doc- toral programs in political science follow the same route as do most other programs in the social sciences. Disciplinary requirements for both undergraduate and graduate degree programs are rationalized with the capstone being the doctoral dissertation. Not only does the dissertation represent the final student effort in research, it repre- sents the finishing polish to graduate school acculturation into the psychological and intellectual qualities which the prospective polit- ical scientist should ideally possess upon successfully leaving doc- toral training.

Librarians, especially subject bibliographers, have a special duty to establish well rationalized collection policies and follow the development of research collections in any discipline for which he or she is responsible. Subject bibliographers' interest in mainte- nance of collections through acquisitions, weeding, and regular in-house collection evaluation enhances the manaeement of collec- tions in any research library's public service and ckection develop- ment efforts for short and long term objectives. The unique role played by political science bibliographers is one which satisfies the pedagogical and research interests of graduate faculty in political science.

Having said this, it is important to understand and appreciate the significance of the role played by the dissertation in the advanced training of neophytes to the research world of political scientists. Unlike the master's degree, which may or may not include a thesis, doctoral degree requirements are universal enough to require the advanced student to undergo the rigors of the dissertation process for several reasons. First, the pedagogical value is paramount to the inculcation of research values in the student and, mythology aside. contributions can be realized in the development of topics and their sojourn through the extended demands of guided doctoral research.

The nexus of all this is the usefulness of dissertation research for the cultivation of research collections. Subject bibliographers can utilize the fruits of dissertation labor for the purposes of collection management. Doctoral disseltations which represent a veritable mine of bibliographic information can be extremely useful to collection development. Bibliographies appended to doctoral dis-

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Anne L. Buchanan and Jean-Pierre V M. Herubel 3

sertations are not supe~uous appendages to the subject bibliogra- pher. Instead, they form the raw material from which a biblio- graphic guide can be established and put into library support for political science fields and subfields. A rationalized approach, both reliable and efficient, can be used to establish not only research trends in doctoral research, but can aid in collection maintenance as well. By mining bibliographies, a scholar can develop a certain working bibliography for his or her research topic. After all, many a novice or seasoned researcher has made a sound practice of discov- ering what bibliographic trails others have pursued.

The subject bibliographer's purpose in pursing dissertation bibli- ographies is twofold-to establish the research trends in dissertation research and, to discover lacunae and/or smngths in a library's research collection. This is vitally important to the support of doc- toral level research programs. In this respect, political science is no different from the rest of the social sciences. Although labor inten- sive, this approach is easily grasped and applied. A simple process of isolating the bibliographies from their dissertations, tabulating the bibliographic elements, i.e., monographs, articles, theses, disserta- tions, government documents, etc.. and establishing patterns will produce a topography of sources used in dissertation research which the bibliographer can use for the purpose of collection management.

Collection management activities fall into two primary areas of acquisition which impact directly upon political science pedagogi- cal and research requirements. Political science faculty regularly demand monographic materials. For the social sciences, mono- graphs are important to the research agenda; however, unlike the humanities, where older materials are generally conducive to disci- plinary research activities, the nature of social science research is one which emulates the scientific research model. Serials and jour- nals have assumed a greater burden of the social science enterprise and are reflected in the demands placed upon library acquisition activities. Consequently, serials and journals are paramount to the political scientist and should make up a large portion of biblio- graphic support in graduate programs and in faculty research.

Examining dissertation bibliographies will not only reveal salient configurations of bibliographic support, but should also reveal the kinds of materials used and the state of the collections. Any research

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4 BEHAVPORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES LlBRARIAN

collection in political science should be capable of supporting a library's commitment to the mission of the graduate program. Depending upon the institutional and financial strictures imposed uDon a librarv system. librarv collections ideally work in concert d t h departm&tk research agendas. A citation m'ethod for examin- ing dissertation bibliographies will produce a template which can be used as a collection policy tool. When used this tool will provide information concerning the nature of bibliographic support and produce a topography of in-house collections.

METHODOLOGY

Citation analysis is nothing new and has been used in the sociol- ogy of science and in the ranking of academic departments and journals for some time.' Caveat aside, these studies have produced mixed results depending upon how these studies are executed and how they are interpreted. In library science, citation studies have been used to determine the characteristics of research literature. The study under discussion is a refinement of a successful approach to the analysis of library holdings and should be of value to faculty library committees interested in understanding the bibliographic possibilities in furthering cooperative efforts in collection develop- ment.

For purposes of this study it was decided to examine the doctoral dissertations accepted for the Ph.D. in the Department of Political Science in the Purdue library collection. The entire run of doctoral dissertations was examined for the period 1970-1989 producing 32 dissertations. Topics crossed various subfields and represented only those dissertation efforts which culminated in degree attainment. Gender and degree attainment year can be signific&t but were not relevant to this study. Upon examination of the data, certain features and configurations appear which have direct bearing upon serials and periodicals collection development efforts for political science.

Each dissertation's bibliography first was dissected and tabulated by format category. These categories are monographs, dissertation and thesis. Language and date of imprint were noted for each category to refine further the type of material being used. Serials and periodical materials constitute the major research products associated with social

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Anne L. Buchanan and Jean-Pierre Y M. Herubel 5

science publication. Though materials other than serials and period- icals would provide additional information, only serials and period- icals were examined. Availability of items was checked against the library's holdings to establish the percentage held.

DISCUSSION

The dissertation bibliographies produced a total of 3673 citations (Table I). When examined by format, the following profile emerged. Although monographs constituted 46.66% of the cita- tions, serials and periodicals made up a healthy 43.9% of items cited. It is equally significant to note when popular magazines such as Time or Psychology Today were isolated and added to newspa- pers, the percentage held by journals was still strong (36.78%). Government documents (.059%) represent a pattern which reflects political science research and was not surprising. Court case usage is also indicative of the general tenor of political science research while unpublished manuscripts demonstrated a not unusual use of 'work in progress' materials. Since social science researchers need to keep abreast of research, their Linkage to colleagues permits such pre-publication collaborative effoas. Dissertation and thesis usage

TABLE I

Format

Monographs Journals Government Documents Magazines Newspapers Court Cases Unpublished MS Dissertations Sound Recordings Theses

Number of Citations

Total

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6 BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES LIBRARIAN

indicates a void where one would have thought greater usage would have demonstrated a knowledge of previous research which is cus- tomarily reported in a literature review chapter; their relative neglect needs to be investigated further. Sound recordings consti- tuted the most unusual fomat and should be construed as an anom- aly in this sample. A single dissertation on the political culture of popular music was entire(;, responsible for its appearance.

Various configurations appeared in the serials and periodicals format. Upon examination,-certain salient characteristics emerged which have a direct bearing upon political science dissertation research. Unlike previous studies, it is interesting to note that mono- graphs represent the dominant cited formaL2 Serials and periodicals represent a substantial percentage of items cited, yet an overwhelrn- ing proportion can not be substantiated here. Further, serials and journal literature crossed disciplinary limes. When those serial and periodical titles producing two or more citations were isolated, a clearer picture of citation practice in political science dissertations emerged (Table II).

Clearly, political science joumals are heavily represented. Social science serials and journals in public administration, sociology, psychology, and economics round out the sample attesting to their complementary association to political science. Philosophy serial and journal titles make a strong showing since they bumss dis- sertations in political theory. Political economy and international relations incorporate economics insofar as economics can be a tool for understanding model building in a societal context. Psychology and sociology reflect social psychological and sociological constructs which provide open windows into political phenomena. Interdisci- plinary interest seems evident, yet political science titles tend to predominate.

When further isolated, three mainstream titles comprise the greatest percentage of citations: American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, and American Journal of Political Science. Further reading of titles only confirms the strength of political science and related journals in the citation practice of dissenation research. However, interdisciplinary connections through other journals is reflective of political science's growing tendency toward incorporating influences from other disciplines, i.e., the use of

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Anne L. Buchanan and Jean-Pierre VI M . Herubel 7

TABLE II

Am. Political Science Review Journal of Politics Am. J. of Political Science World Politics Journals of Peace Research International Organization Western Political Quarterly Public Opinion Quarterly Public Administration Review Am. Sociolwical Review Public ~ f f a i r i Annales of Am. Acad. of Polit. 8 Soc. Sci. Foreign Affairs Journal of Philosophy Public Interest Journal of Humanistic Psychology Policy Studies Journal Comparative Political Studies Journal of Conflii Resolution Nature Social Science Quarterly Polity Process Studies World Development Am. Economic Review lnternlional Studies Quarterly Law and Society Review West European Politics Latin American Research Review Midwest Journal of Poliiical Science Monist New York Rev. of Bwks Cell Publius Ecanomic Development 8 Cultural Change Comparative Politics Encounter Adminstrative Science Quarterly Foreign Polic): . Journal of Polrt~cal Economy New England Journal of Medicine proceed: of the Aristotelian Society Review of Economics & Statistics Studies in Comparative Intl. Develop. Administration

Number 01 Citations

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8 BEHAMORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES LIBRARIAN

TABLE Il (continued)

Title

Dissent Finance and Development Hastings Center Reporl Inter-American Economic Affairs International Migration Studies Policy Studies Review Problems of Communism Sociological Methodology Atlantic Community Quarterly Econometrica Ethics Ethnic and Racial Studies European Journal of Political Science Intl. Political Science Review Intl. Journal of Environmental Studies J. of Institute for Socio-Economic Studies Journal of Medicine & Philosophy Journal of World Trade Law Nation's Cities National Civic Review New Leader New Scholasticism Peace Research Society Papers Philosophical Review Political Theory Politics and Society Quarterly Journal of Economics Social and Economic Studies American Historical Review Annals of New York Acad. of Science Asian Survey British Journal o l Political Science Chistian Scholar Comparative Social Research Economic Bulletin for Latin America Economic Journal Environment Conservation Hibhect Journal IMF Studies Indian Economic Journal International Interactions Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism Kyklos North Dakota Law Review Personalist Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

Number 01 Citations

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Anne L. Buchanan and Jean-Pierre CI M. Herubel 9

TABLE II (continued)

Presidential Studies Quartarty Proceed. of the Aristotelian Soc., Suppl. Social Forces Southern Journal of Philosophy Soviet Studies Tulane Studies in Philosophy World View

Number Of Citations

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Journal of Peace Research, American Sociological Review, Social Science Quarterly, and American Economic Review. As political science continues to borrow methodological approaches, areas of research, and other disciplinary agendas, its own mutations in research priorities will be represented in the periodical literature.

To accentuate the usefulness of dissertation bibliography citation analysis, the list of 327 journal titles gleaned from the sample was taken to establish the percentage held by the Purdue University Libraries holdings. Of those journals cited 43 (13.14%) were not found in the periodical collection. Most of the 43 titles were cited only once. Twenty law review titles were included in the sample and were characteristically absent from the collection as the univer- sity does not have a school of law. Further, it was not surprising to find that all 19 biological and health sciences journals were held by the libraries at ~urdue since these disciplines are very well repre- sented in the collections. It is assumed political science researchers must have availed themselves of holdings other than Purdue's to complete their research.

CONCLUSION

Using dissertation bibliographies to establish the contours and configurations of kinds of format used in doctoral level research is a promising approach to collection management and to understanding the disciplinary culture of political science. Serials and journals represent a major proportion of cited materials used and is useful to serials management, especially since spiraling costs of serials have

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become such a predominant concern among academic librarians. Research agendas can be easily traced through subject and citation examination which permits greater appreciation of the parameters of "novitiate" trainiie: at the doctoral level. Librarians. esoeciallv subject bibliographers, can enhance their knowledge of iesearck trends through dissertation bibliographies.

Questions of whether to build in a given area or subfield can be determined if one can "map" the bibliographic footsteps taken by the dissertation writer. Strengths and lacunae emerge and can be cultivated or filled. Whether to maintain a collection policy in for- eign subscriptions (a costly enterprise in the best of times), can be answered by establishing the citation patterns in dissertation research. In this case, only two journal citations were represented; leading one to surmise that linguistic insularity is evident in political science as it is in geography? Of course, advanced student research effom should not be applied to the more refined mearch requirements of teaching and research faculty who may have more rarified pursuits. Yet, a coordinated and r a t i o n W attempt at empirical in-house evaiua- lions for respective libraries can only be beneficial for both pedagog- ical and bibliographic reasons. Dissertation bibliographies promise to be an open window into the bibliographic world of advanced gradu- ate research. Continuous monitoring of dissertation bibliographies through simple but effective citation examination will prove both sound and practical for the bibliographer, serials librarian, and scholar in the humanities and social sciences.

ENDNOTES

1. Linda C. Smith, "Citation Analysis," Library Trends 30 (Summer 1981): 83-106.

2 Marion L Buzzard and Doris E. New, "An Investigation of Collection Sup- port for Doctoral Research," College andResearch Libraries 44 (November 1983): 472.

3. Daniel W. Gade. "Foreign Languages and American Geography," The Pm- fessional Geographer 35 (August 1983): 261-266.

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