Sol-gel derived lead zirconate (PbZrO3; PZ) thin films on Pt-coated substrate was studied to investigate the effect of drying temperature on preferred orientation, The preference of orientation was found to strongly depend on the drying temperature. Films dried below 340 degreesC were found to have a (221) preferred orientation, whereas those dried above 350 degreesC: had a (220) preferred orientation. Annealing temperature was also found to be an important factor. No significant difference was found for the thermal treatment methods, normal furnace and rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The results of X-ray diffraction and rocking curve analysis were confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) study of the morphologies of the films.