Analysis of information use in agricultural science PhD theses at Central University of Venezuela (1986-2002)

Purpose - To analyze information use in agricultural science PhD theses submitted between 1986 and 2002 in the Faculty of Agronomy, Central University of Venezuela (UCV).Design methodology approach - The source of information was the UCV Faculty of Agronomy, Library's database, "Tesis". The unidimensional production and use indicators analyzed included: scientific production, reference density, self-citations, document contemporaneousness and type of documents cited, reference scattering and accessibility of the journals cited.Findings - The analysis of the data obtained from 4,646 bibliographic references in 42 agricultural science PhD theses provides insight into information use in a Venezuelan agricultural science community. The mean number of references per thesis found was 113 ± 21. The number of women earning a PhD in agriculture was observed to grow. The percentage of self-citations varied widely. The half-life was 11 years and the Price's Index 22 per cent. According to the distribution by document type, most of the publications cited were articles in journals, while references to technical standards and internet publications were rare. UCV Faculty of Agronomy PhD students tended to seek information primarily in the Anglo Saxon literature. The Celestino Bonfanti Library periodicals section met a high proportion (92 per cent) of the demand for journals located in the first and second concentration-scattering zones.Originality value - This is the only paper on the evaluation of PhD theses in Venezuela. The findings will be useful for education planners in Venezuela and other developing countries.