Assessment of Citations in Commerce Doctoral Theses, Manipur University: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

This bibliometric study examines citation patterns in bibliographies from 63 awarded commerce doctoral theses (1989–2018), creating a comprehensive dataset of cited references analyzed via MS Excel. Citations were classified into 11 categories, books, book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, government publications, periodicals, web resources, reports, theses/dissertations, and miscellaneous, with journal articles comprising 25.41% (n=1903) across 586 journals. The citation half-life across all sources stands at 27 years, 10 months, and 23 days, reflecting gradual obsolescence in commerce scholarship. To identify core journals, Bradford's Law of Scattering was applied. An initial multiplier (n=5.2) produced a 2.10% error, rendering it unsuitable. However, Egghe's Modified Leimkuhler Model yielded a refined multiplier (k=5.45) with a negligible 0.07% error, enabling validation and delineation of three Bradford zones. This study identified 16 core journals, topped by Economic and Political Weekly (91 citations). The findings reveal scholars' source preferences, citation behaviors, and exchange dynamics, offering actionable insights for researchers, faculty, librarians, and institutions to optimize research strategies, enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, and guide collection development in academic libraries.