Comparing Materials Used in Philosophy and Political Science Dissertations

Ten dissertations were examined to determine the differences in materials used by disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences. The target dissertations in philosophy and political science revealed that humanities dissertations tend to cite older materials than do political science dissertations. Materials cited in philosophy reflect dependence upon monographs while political science emphasizes journals and government documents. Surprisingly, dissertations are not a major contributor to the literature cited. It is suggested that examination of citation patterns in dissertations is a feasible tool for collection development.