IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jpubli/v12y2024i4p36-d1499326.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Temporal Evolution of Bradford Curves in Academic Library Contexts

Author

Listed:
  • Haobai Xue

    (Information and Intelligence Department, University Town Library of Shenzhen, 2239 Lishui Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518055, China)

Abstract

Bradford’s law of bibliographic scattering is a fundamental principle in bibliometrics, offering valuable guidance for academic libraries in literature search and procurement. However, Bradford curves can exhibit various shapes over time, and predicting these shapes remains a challenge due to a lack of causal explanation. This paper attributes the deviations from the theoretical J-shape to integer constraints on the number of journals and articles, extending Leimkuhler’s function to encompass highly productive core journals, where the theoretical journal number falls below one. Using the Simon–Yule model, key parameters of the extended formulas are identified and analyzed. The paper explains the reasons for the Groos droop and examines the critical points for shape changes. The proposed formulas are validated with empirical data from the literature, demonstrating that this method can effectively predict the evolution of Bradford curves, providing academic libraries with a valuable tool for evaluating journal coverage, optimizing resource allocation, and refining Collection Development Policies (CDP).

Suggested Citation

  • Haobai Xue, 2024. "Temporal Evolution of Bradford Curves in Academic Library Contexts," Publications, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jpubli:v:12:y:2024:i:4:p:36-:d:1499326
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6775/12/4/36/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6775/12/4/36/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jesper W. Schneider & Rodrigo Costas, 2017. "Identifying potential “breakthrough” publications using refined citation analyses: Three related explorative approaches," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 68(3), pages 709-723, March.
    2. Juste Raimbault, 2019. "Exploration of an interdisciplinary scientific landscape," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 119(2), pages 617-641, May.
    3. N. Gilbert, 1997. "A Simulation of the Structure of Academic Science," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(2), pages 91-105, June.
    4. Ye‐Sho Chen & P. Pete Chong & Morgan Y. Tong, 1995. "Dynamic behavior of Bradford's law," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 46(5), pages 370-383, June.
    5. Ye‐Sho Chen, 1995. "On the dynamic behavior of Bradford's Law—response," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 46(10), pages 799-800, December.
    6. L. Egghe, 1990. "Applications of the theory of Bradford's Law to the calculation of Leimkuhler's Law and to the completion of bibliographies," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 41(7), pages 469-492, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yang, Siluo & Zheng, Mengxue & Yu, Yonghao & Wolfram, Dietmar, 2021. "Are Altmetric.com scores effective for research impact evaluation in the social sciences and humanities?," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    2. Wallace, Danny P. & Van Fleet, Connie & Downs, Lacey J., 2011. "The research core of the knowledge management literature," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 14-20.
    3. Carayol, Nicolas & Dalle, Jean-Michel, 2007. "Sequential problem choice and the reward system in Open Science," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 167-191, June.
    4. Loet Leydesdorff, 2015. "Can intellectual processes in the sciences also be simulated? The anticipation and visualization of possible future states," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 105(3), pages 2197-2214, December.
    5. David O'Sullivan & Mordechai Haklay, 2000. "Agent-Based Models and Individualism: Is the World Agent-Based?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 32(8), pages 1409-1425, August.
    6. Michel Zitt, 2015. "Meso-level retrieval: IR-bibliometrics interplay and hybrid citation-words methods in scientific fields delineation," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(3), pages 2223-2245, March.
    7. Jinfang Sun & Zhichao Zhou & Jing Huang & Guoxing Li, 2020. "A Bibliometric Analysis of the Impacts of Air Pollution on Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-11, February.
    8. Georgina Guilera & Maite Barrios & Juana Gómez-Benito, 2013. "Meta-analysis in psychology: a bibliometric study," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 94(3), pages 943-954, March.
    9. Heshmati, Almas & Lenz-Cesar, Flávio, 2013. "Determinants and Policy Simulation of Firms Cooperation in Innovation," IZA Discussion Papers 7487, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Isaac Naveh & Ron Sun, 2006. "A cognitively based simulation of academic science," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 313-337, December.
    11. Matthias Meyer & Iris Lorscheid & Klaus G. Troitzsch, 2009. "The Development of Social Simulation as Reflected in the First Ten Years of JASSS: a Citation and Co-Citation Analysis," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 12(4), pages 1-12.
    12. Francisco Grimaldo & Mario Paolucci & Jordi Sabater-Mir, 2018. "Reputation or peer review? The role of outliers," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(3), pages 1421-1438, September.
    13. Rodríguez-Navarro, Alonso & Brito, Ricardo, 2024. "Rank analysis of most cited publications, a new approach for research assessments," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2).
    14. Li, Xin & Ma, Xiaodi & Feng, Ye, 2024. "Early identification of breakthrough research from sleeping beauties using machine learning," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2).
    15. Gilbert, Nigel & Ahrweiler, Petra & Pyka, Andreas, 2007. "Learning in innovation networks: Some simulation experiments," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 378(1), pages 100-109.
    16. Brito, Ricardo & Rodríguez-Navarro, Alonso, 2018. "Research assessment by percentile-based double rank analysis," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 315-329.
    17. Flavio Lenz-Cesar & Almas Heshmati, 2010. "Agent-based Simulation of Cooperative Innovation," TEMEP Discussion Papers 201052, Seoul National University; Technology Management, Economics, and Policy Program (TEMEP), revised Jan 2010.
    18. Andreas Pyka & Nigel Gilbert & Petra Ahrweiler, 2006. "Simulating Knowledge-Generation and -Distribution Processes in Innovation Collaborations and Networks," Discussion Paper Series 287, Universitaet Augsburg, Institute for Economics.
    19. Petra Ahrweiler, 2011. "Modelling Theory Communities in Science," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 14(4), pages 1-8.
    20. Petra Ahrweiler & Andreas Pyka & Nigel Gilbert, 2004. "Simulating Knowledge Dynamics In Innovation Networks (Skin)," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Roberto Leombruni & Matteo Richiardi (ed.), Industry And Labor Dynamics The Agent-Based Computational Economics Approach, chapter 14, pages 284-296, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jpubli:v:12:y:2024:i:4:p:36-:d:1499326. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.