Citation analysis of PhD thesis at Wuhan University, China

This case study is a citation analysis of 56 PhD theses submitted in 2005 at Wuhan University (www.whu.edu.cn) in China. The authors analyzed 10,222 citations in theses in Library and Information Science, Biology, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and Stomatology and reviewed and compared the characteristics of the literature cited in the four disciplines. The results revealed that in Biology and Stomatology mainly English language publications were cited whereas in the field of Library and Information Science, the cited literature came primarily from Chinese sources. In Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, citations were almost evenly split between English and Chinese sources. An appendix with tables of the journal titles cited most frequently may be used to evaluate serial holdings and to serve as a guide for students preparing their theses. In addition, the implications for library collection development policies and other technical services are discussed.