Analyzing Citing Behavior in Psychology Research for Collection Development at the University of Houston
This study explores the citing behavior of psychology researchers at the University of Houston to inform collection development decisions. By utilizing SCOPUS citation data, we aim to understand how library collections align with research needs and the types of materials cited, including journals and books. Preliminary findings reveal trends in citation practices, journal usage, and the age of sources cited. The goal is to strengthen library support for ongoing campus research while enhancing engagement with faculty members.
Analyzing Citing Behavior in Psychology Research for Collection Development at the University of Houston
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Presentation Transcript
Using SCOPUS To Study Citing Behavior For Collection Development A focus on Psychology Research at the University of Houston Irene Ke, MLS, MS Psychology & Social Work Librarian University of Houston ijke@uh.edu
Psychology Research at UH • A university in transition: Tier One initiative • Psychology publication trend (University of Houston) Data source: SCOPUS
Project Goal: Gather evidence for collection decisions Objectives: To learn • How psychology researchers use information • Whether the library collection meets campus research needs
Essential questions • How psychology researchers use information • What journals were cited and how often? • Time range (age) of sources cited (Do old materials matter?) • Types of materials cited (Do books matter?) • Whether the library collection meets campus research needs • Does the library subscribe to the journals that researchers cited? • Do researchers use the journals provided by the library?
Methodology • Data Collection: • Citation data:SCOPUS • Strengths • Limitations • Usage data: COUNTER, Serials Solutions (Focus on journals only) • Download times • Papers included in the study: • Published by a UH researcher between 2000 to 2013 • Papers were classified to “psychology” as a subject in SCOPUS
Preliminary Finding I • Time range (age) of sources cited (Do old materials matter?): • “The year the cited source was published” minus “the year the citing paper was published” The peak time of an article being cited is between 1 to 8 years after its publication. 5 years Note: all source types are included in this analysis. It covers 6 years’ data: 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013
Preliminary Finding II How do campus researchers cite journals? • A wide range of journals were cited: • 543 journal titles were cited from 2002 to 2013 • Only a small portion of journals get cited often: • 33 titles were cited more than 100 times (about 6% of all cited journals) • 368 titles were cited equal to or less than 20 times (about 68% of all cited journals) • Most frequently cited journal: Journal of Applied Psychology (567 times)
Preliminary Finding II, Visual presentation How do campus researchers cite journals?
Preliminary Finding III • Do we subscribe to the journals that got cited? • The library has a great coverage of the journals that were cited often:
Preliminary Finding IV Does citation data aligns with usage (download) data? Citation (from Scopus) and usage data (from 360 Counter, Serials Solutions) comparison Number of times a title was cited in 2012 Number of times a title was downloaded in 2012 N=69 titles
Preliminary thoughts What are the implications? For collection development • Decisions on old materials • Build the “core” • Multidisciplinary approach • Citation data only tells a part of the story, other types of data are needed For outreach • Data proves our support to campus research (no apology anymore!) • Data helps us to communicate with faculty members
Work still in progress • Type of materials cited • Subject areas cited Questions? ijke@uh.edu