Tracking Changes in Political Science Dissertations at Penn State: 1953-2010

Bibliographies from 40 doctoral dissertations in political science from Penn State University were analyzed to detect any changes that may have occurred in the types and subject classifications of cited sources over time. The oldest dissertations in this sample reflected a research methodology more akin to history, while the newest reflected a methodology more in line with the social sciences. Results were then compared and contrasted with those of prior studies. The exercise of local citation analysis can connect librarians more deeply to a discipline as it is practiced at their institution, benefitting their own understanding and the services they provide.