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The Literature of Bibliometrics, Scientometrics, and Informetrics

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  • William W. Hood

    (The University of New South Wales)

  • Concepción S. Wilson

    (The University of New South Wales)

Abstract

Since Vassily V. Nalimov coined the term ‘scientometrics’ in the 1960s, this term has grown in popularity and is used to describe the study of science: growth, structure, interrelationships and productivity. Scientometrics is related to and has overlapping interests with bibliometrics and informetrics. The terms bibliometrics, scientometrics, and informetrics refer to component fields related to the study of the dynamics of disciplines as reflected in the production of their literature. Areas of study range from charting changes in the output of a scholarly field through time and across countries, to the library collection problem of maintaining control of the output, and to the low publication productivity of most researchers. These terms are used to describe similar and overlapping methodologies. The origins and historical survey of the development of each of these terms are presented. Profiles of the usage of each of these terms over time are presented, using an appropriate subject category of databases on the DIALOG information service. Various definitions of each of the terms are provided from an examination of the literature. The size of the overall literature of these fields is determined and the growth and stabilisation of both the dissertation and non-dissertation literature are shown. A listing of the top journals in the three fields are given, as well as a list of the major reviews and bibliographies that have been published over the years.

Suggested Citation

  • William W. Hood & Concepción S. Wilson, 2001. "The Literature of Bibliometrics, Scientometrics, and Informetrics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 52(2), pages 291-314, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:52:y:2001:i:2:d:10.1023_a:1017919924342
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1017919924342
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. A. Schubert, 1999. "Scientometrics: A citation based bibliography 1994–1996," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 44(2), pages 267-315, February.
    2. Myke Gluck, 1990. "A review of journal coverage overlap with an extension to the definition of overlap," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 41(1), pages 43-60, January.
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    5. Bella Hass Weinberg, 1997. "The earliest Hebrew citation indexes," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 48(4), pages 318-330, April.
    6. Sydney J. Pierce, 1992. "On the origin and meaning of bibliometric indicators: Journals in the social sciences, 1886–1985," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 43(7), pages 477-487, August.
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