Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
Fall 9-14-2019
Abstract
The Ohio State University’s holdings of graduate theses and dissertations were examined to determine if highly-downloaded titles tended to be highly-cited. The study found that citation rates were highly variable and did not necessarily correspond to download rates. This included very highly downloaded titles with low citation rates, and lesser-downloaded titles with high citation rates. The study found that Google Scholar, which was used to identify citation rates, too often counts theses and dissertations as a version of a different work with the same title, even if it is another format and sometimes with additional authors. This article will share these findings.