Disciplinary variables that affect the shape of Bradford's bibliograph

The influence of various factors upon the shape of Bradford's bibliograph was assessed through an examination of 16 bibliographies, of which ten were comprehensive. We obtained a curvature score for each bibliograph plotted in a standard landscape format so as to permit comparison; we found that the amount of concave up curvature (“convexity”): (a) is negatively correlated with a bibliography's overall publication density; (b) depends on the status (“technical” vs. “nontechnical”) of the disciplinary source of a bibliography, with technical disciplines showing less convexity; and (c) is complexly affected by the historical changes in the discipline. Findings are discussed in the context of questions about the graphical formulation of Bradford's Law.

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