Citation Analysis as an Unobtrusive Method for Journal Collection Evaluation Using Psychology Student Research Bibliographies

Bibliographic citation analysis of student research papers is one method of evaluation the use of a journal collection. Journal selection and cancellation may be done on the basis of use and cost-effectiveness to maximize the usefulness of materials purchased with the library budget. An analysis of the bibliographic citations of research papers by undergraduate and graduate students in the psychology department of St. Mary's University was used as one basis for psychology journal selection and deselection in the academic library. Findings confirmed that the most cost-effective and the most used materials were usually held by the library. Titles that met these criteria and were not held are good candidates for new subscriptions. Likewise, the least cost-effective and least-used titles are candidates for cancellation. Convergence of data from other sources should be used to confirm citation analysis findings due to the inherent limitations of the method.