diff --git a/pkgs/applications/editors/emacs/25.nix b/pkgs/applications/editors/emacs/25.nix
index 42edb7c707e1..e4643102f0ef 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/editors/emacs/25.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/editors/emacs/25.nix
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     done
   '';
 
-  installTargets = "tags install";
+  installTargets = [ "tags" "install" ];
 
   postInstall = ''
     mkdir -p $out/share/emacs/site-lisp
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/office/antiword/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/office/antiword/default.nix
index 96a518a7a28f..e6c939b277ea 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/office/antiword/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/office/antiword/default.nix
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   patches = [ ./10_fix_buffer_overflow_wordole_c.patch ];
 
-  installTargets = "global_install";
+  installTargets = [ "global_install" ];
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://www.winfield.demon.nl/;
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix
index ae96d5a1ef90..ef697b74bbe3 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix
@@ -225,10 +225,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 
   doCheck = false; # requires a lot of tools, causes a dependency cycle for stdenv
 
-  installTargets =
-    if stripped
-    then "install-strip"
-    else "install";
+  installTargets = optional stripped "install-strip";
 
   # https://gcc.gnu.org/install/specific.html#x86-64-x-solaris210
   ${if hostPlatform.system == "x86_64-solaris" then "CC" else null} = "gcc -m64";
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.9/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.9/default.nix
index 5194f607f3b6..2f85fc4b7e8c 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.9/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.9/default.nix
@@ -231,10 +231,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 
   doCheck = false; # requires a lot of tools, causes a dependency cycle for stdenv
 
-  installTargets =
-    if stripped
-    then "install-strip"
-    else "install";
+  installTargets = optional stripped "install-strip";
 
   # https://gcc.gnu.org/install/specific.html#x86-64-x-solaris210
   ${if hostPlatform.system == "x86_64-solaris" then "CC" else null} = "gcc -m64";
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/5/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/5/default.nix
index cddfd58aa53b..f68ddc81f81f 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/5/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/5/default.nix
@@ -242,10 +242,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 
   doCheck = false; # requires a lot of tools, causes a dependency cycle for stdenv
 
-  installTargets =
-    if stripped
-    then "install-strip"
-    else "install";
+  installTargets = optional stripped "install-strip";
 
   # https://gcc.gnu.org/install/specific.html#x86-64-x-solaris210
   ${if hostPlatform.system == "x86_64-solaris" then "CC" else null} = "gcc -m64";
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/6/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/6/default.nix
index 3ac4fa7032a7..b1a981cfdf7f 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/6/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/6/default.nix
@@ -250,10 +250,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 
   doCheck = false; # requires a lot of tools, causes a dependency cycle for stdenv
 
-  installTargets =
-    if stripped
-    then "install-strip"
-    else "install";
+  installTargets = optional stripped "install-strip";
 
   # https://gcc.gnu.org/install/specific.html#x86-64-x-solaris210
   ${if hostPlatform.system == "x86_64-solaris" then "CC" else null} = "gcc -m64";
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/7/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/7/default.nix
index 237cb455f9fa..22d772cff6d6 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/7/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/7/default.nix
@@ -221,10 +221,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 
   doCheck = false; # requires a lot of tools, causes a dependency cycle for stdenv
 
-  installTargets =
-    if stripped
-    then "install-strip"
-    else "install";
+  installTargets = optional stripped "install-strip";
 
   # https://gcc.gnu.org/install/specific.html#x86-64-x-solaris210
   ${if hostPlatform.system == "x86_64-solaris" then "CC" else null} = "gcc -m64";
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/9/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/9/default.nix
index 9698f4db2861..7ff8d7529ca3 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/9/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/9/default.nix
@@ -207,10 +207,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 
   dontStrip = !stripped;
 
-  installTargets =
-    if stripped
-    then "install-strip"
-    else "install";
+  installTargets = optional stripped "install-strip";
 
   # https://gcc.gnu.org/install/specific.html#x86-64-x-solaris210
   ${if hostPlatform.system == "x86_64-solaris" then "CC" else null} = "gcc -m64";
diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/erlang/generic-builder.nix b/pkgs/development/interpreters/erlang/generic-builder.nix
index 76f71745f355..c0203e5915f7 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/erlang/generic-builder.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/erlang/generic-builder.nix
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 , configureFlags ? [], configurePhase ? "", preConfigure ? "", postConfigure ? ""
 , buildPhase ? "", preBuild ? "", postBuild ? ""
 , installPhase ? "", preInstall ? "", postInstall ? ""
-, installTargets ? "install install-docs"
+, installTargets ? [ "install" "install-docs" ]
 , checkPhase ? "", preCheck ? "", postCheck ? ""
 , fixupPhase ? "", preFixup ? "", postFixup ? ""
 , meta ? {}
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ in stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 // optionalAttrs (preCheck != "")       { inherit preCheck; }
 // optionalAttrs (postCheck != "")      { inherit postCheck; }
 // optionalAttrs (installPhase != "")   { inherit installPhase; }
-// optionalAttrs (installTargets != "") { inherit installTargets; }
+// optionalAttrs (installTargets != []) { inherit installTargets; }
 // optionalAttrs (preInstall != "")     { inherit preInstall; }
 // optionalAttrs (fixupPhase != "")     { inherit fixupPhase; }
 // optionalAttrs (preFixup != "")       { inherit preFixup; }
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/crypto++/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/crypto++/default.nix
index b472733f8ee6..3fe277481553 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/crypto++/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/crypto++/default.nix
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   doCheck = true;
 
   preInstall = "rm libcryptopp.a"; # built for checks but we don't install static lib into the nix store
-  installTargets = "install-lib";
+  installTargets = [ "install-lib" ];
   installFlags = [ "LDCONF=true" ];
   postInstall = optionalString (!stdenv.hostPlatform.isDarwin) ''
     ln -sr $out/lib/libcryptopp.so.${version} $out/lib/libcryptopp.so.${versions.majorMinor version}
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/libscrypt/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/libscrypt/default.nix
index b9ae1f829a1b..3083136526bf 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/libscrypt/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/libscrypt/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildFlags = stdenv.lib.optional stdenv.isDarwin "LDFLAGS= CFLAGS_EXTRA=";
 
   installFlags = [ "PREFIX=$(out)" ];
-  installTargets = if stdenv.isDarwin then "install-osx" else "install";
+  installTargets = stdenv.lib.optional stdenv.isDarwin "install-osx";
 
   doCheck = true;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/functory/default.nix b/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/functory/default.nix
index c8b29759b97c..18b5fb39776b 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/functory/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/ocaml-modules/functory/default.nix
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   buildInputs = [ ocaml findlib ];
 
-  installTargets = "ocamlfind-install";
+  installTargets = [ "ocamlfind-install" ];
 
   createFindlibDestdir = true;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/tools/misc/dialog/default.nix b/pkgs/development/tools/misc/dialog/default.nix
index 378cc4683b41..b82429cdac5f 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/tools/misc/dialog/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/tools/misc/dialog/default.nix
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     "--with-libtool-opts=${stdenv.lib.optionalString enableShared "-shared"}"
   ];
 
-  installTargets = "install${stdenv.lib.optionalString withLibrary "-full"}";
+  installTargets = [ "install${stdenv.lib.optionalString withLibrary "-full"}" ];
 
   meta = {
     homepage = https://invisible-island.net/dialog/dialog.html;
diff --git a/pkgs/misc/drivers/foomatic-filters/default.nix b/pkgs/misc/drivers/foomatic-filters/default.nix
index dbcc17820ec2..9bee05bfb254 100644
--- a/pkgs/misc/drivers/foomatic-filters/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/misc/drivers/foomatic-filters/default.nix
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
       substituteInPlace foomaticrip.c --replace /bin/bash ${stdenv.shell}
     '';
 
-  installTargets = "install-cups";
+  installTargets = [ "install-cups" ];
 
   installFlags = [
     "CUPS_FILTERS=$(out)/lib/cups/filter"
diff --git a/pkgs/servers/gpsd/default.nix b/pkgs/servers/gpsd/default.nix
index f205b600dd95..a05b37e9d2ca 100644
--- a/pkgs/servers/gpsd/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/servers/gpsd/default.nix
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   preInstall = ''
     mkdir -p "$out/lib/udev/rules.d"
   '';
-  installTargets = "install udev-install";
+  installTargets = [ "install" "udev-install" ];
 
   postFixup = ''
     wrapPythonProgramsIn $out/bin "$out $pythonPath"
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/bibtool/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/bibtool/default.nix
index 7664b96563b2..df7564a4b848 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/bibtool/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/bibtool/default.nix
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   # Perl for running test suite.
   buildInputs = [ perl ];
 
-  installTargets = "install install.man";
+  installTargets = [ "install" "install.man" ];
 
   doCheck = true;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/system/fcron/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/system/fcron/default.nix
index 6ef39a647f72..3dd84aa8a9cc 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/system/fcron/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/system/fcron/default.nix
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
       "--disable-checks"
     ];
 
-  installTargets = "install-staged"; # install does also try to change permissions of /etc/* files
+  installTargets = [ "install-staged" ]; # install does also try to change permissions of /etc/* files
 
   # fcron tries to install pid into system directory on install
   installFlags = [
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/perl-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/perl-packages.nix
index 48d368c92ca7..94ef32249981 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/perl-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/perl-packages.nix
@@ -11242,7 +11242,7 @@ let
 
     outputs = [ "out" "dev" ]; # no "devdoc"
 
-    installTargets = "install";
+    installTargets = [ "install" ];
 
     meta = with stdenv.lib; {
       homepage = "https://www.mhonarc.org/";
@@ -20609,7 +20609,7 @@ let
      };
      propagatedBuildInputs = [ XMLParser XMLSAX ];
      # Avoid creating perllocal.pod, which contains a timestamp
-     installTargets = "pure_install";
+     installTargets = [ "pure_install" ];
      meta = {
        description = "SAX Driver for Expat";
        license = with stdenv.lib.licenses; [ artistic1 gpl1Plus ];