Abstract: The research on zero-cited and high-cited master’s thesis is helpful to understand and improve
the quality of graduate education. Citation plays an important role in the completion of the master’s
thesis, so it is meaningful to study the master’s thesis from the perspective of citation. By comparing
and analyzing the citation features of the zero-cited and highly-cited master’s thesis in 2012-2014, the
study identified their significant differences, particularly in terms of number, language, and the type of
citations. Based on the findings above, the article puts forward some suggestions on the writing of the
master’s thesis on library science from the perspective of citations. It is believed that the graduate students
should correctly understand the citations, use them in a scientific way, and quote them in a standardized
manner.

Key words: Library science, Dissertation, Highly cited, Zero-cited, Citation analysis, Citation specification, References