A citation analysis of political science dissertations at the University of Dar es Salaam 1984 to 2004

The general objective of this study was to find out citations trend in dissertations/ theses of postgraduate Political Science students at the University of Dar es Salaam for the period 1984- 2004. Population of the study included all the local Political Science theses/ dissertations submitted at the UDSM during the period of twenty years stated above, plus all the postgraduate Political Science students currently studying at the University. A systematic random sampling technique was applied to obtain the research sample. Forty-three, (43) MA and PhD theses/ dissertations and thirty (30) MA Political Science students were involved in the study. Data collection was done using documentary review, citation analysis and questionnaire methods. Instruments of study were data collection sheets used to collect citation analysis data and self-administered questionnaire that was used to collect user opinion. The findings of the study revealed that books and monographs are the most used sources of information by postgraduate Political Science students for their research activities. Journals rank second in terms of use. Also, the study revealed that sources in printed form are used more than sources in electronic form. It was also revealed that the UDSM Library has partial holdings of the core and the most cited journals in the Political Science field. The study concluded that the trend in usage of research materials has not changed from traditional sources despite changes that have occurred in the UDSM library collection. Based on this study, the researcher recommends that the UDSM library should attempt to strike a balance between printed sources and electronic sources, and ensure sustainability of online resources.