Probabilistic Model for the Growth of Thesauri

The paper deals with a mathematical model which describes how the collection of key phrases (and key words) evolves as a field of science develops. The experimental material is based on statistical observations on the sets of key phrases which have been assigned to papers in representative major journals in the field in question. Asymptotic properties of the model are considered, as well as estimators for the parameters of the model with particular emphasis on estimators that can indicate at what stage a collection of key phrases can be assumed as complete for the field in question at a given moment in time.