The Use of Preprints in Doctorate Programs: A Citation Analysis Study of Trends in Chemistry and Physics Dissertations

Preprint articles are available on servers, such as arXiv and ChemRxiv, at no-cost to benefit the movement toward open access of research. However, the use of preprint research articles as a reference source in academia is not heavily documented. To examine if researchers are utilizing preprint articles, this paper examines citation trends in the dissertations of chemistry and physics PhD candidates who studied at four University Centers in the State University Of New York system (SUNY). Using citation analysis methodology, references cited in PhD dissertations published between 2018–2021 were analyzed. Key findings showed that PhD candidate authors cited preprint articles at a low rate, and relied on traditional resources for their dissertations, such as articles and books. Physics preprints were cited with more frequency than chemistry preprints. This data provides a benchmark for tracking the use of physics and chemistry preprints in academic research. The results of this study are also useful for examining library collections, particularly around core journal titles. Additionally, this paper raises questions about the information literacy skills of doctoral students. The doctoral students’ best practices of using preprints could be explored in future research.