Clustering in comprehensive bibliographies and related literatures
Terrence A. Brooks · Journal of the American Society for Information Science · 1990
A Bradford analysis was performed on the author and journal series of four comprehensive bibliographies and four related literatures. Goffman and Warren's (1969) minimum zone cohort methodology was used. A clustering index was introduced that relates the minimum zone cohort to the total recurring cases of a literature. The comprehensive bibliographies and related literatures were compared by clustering indices, Bradford multipliers, bibliograph slopes, and reference-scattering coefficients. Three of the eight author series were found to be weakly Bradfordian. The distinction between weakly Bradfordian and strongly Bradfordian series found by the clustering index was corroborated by bibliograph slopes. Other bibliometric indicators were unable to discriminate between weakly Bradfordian and strongly Bradfordian series, author and journal series, and comprehensive bibliographies and related literatures. The data were analyzed by The Bibliometrics Toolbox. © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.