Using online databases to form subject collections for informetric analyses

Authors
Citation
Cs. Wilson, Using online databases to form subject collections for informetric analyses, SCIENTOMETR, 46(3), 1999, pp. 647-667
Citations number
9
Categorie Soggetti
Library & Information Science
Journal title
SCIENTOMETRICS
ISSN journal
01389130 → ACNP
Volume
46
Issue
3
Year of publication
1999
Pages
647 - 667
Database
ISI
SICI code
0138-9130(199911/12)46:3<647:UODTFS>2.0.ZU;2-#
Abstract
The online databases of the Dialog System retrieve only 26% of documents in an exhaustively compiled collection on the subject of Bradford's Law of Sc attering, with some documents being retrieved from many databases. However, when the Exhaustive Collection is more stringently defined to include only those documents more about the subject, the retrieval rate of Dialog impro ves to 61%, while its most productive database, LISA, alone retrieves 37%. Both of these 'samples' give good estimates of the size-invariant propertie s of the Exhaustive Collection which are typically studied in Bradford and Growth Analyses - vindicating this use of online searching. However, withou t additional information, online searches are of little use in determining size-related properties of subject literature collections. Whether the anal ysis reported here - which relies on identical interpretations of a 'subjec t' - has secure foundations is briefly considered.