Robert Fairthorne and the empirical power laws

Abstract

Purpose

Aims to review Fairthorne's classic article “Empirical hyperbolic distributions (Bradford‐Zipf‐Mandelbrot) for bibliometric description and prediction” (Journal of Documentation, Vol. 25, pp. 319‐343, 1969), as part of a series marking the Journal of Documentation's 60th anniversary.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis of article content, qualitative evaluation of its subsequent impact, citation analysis, and diffusion analysis.

Findings

The content, further developments and influence on the field of informetrics of this landmark paper are explained.

Originality/value

A review is given of the contents of Fairthorne's original article and its influence on the field of informetrics. Its transdisciplinary reception is measured through a diffusion analysis.

Citation

Rousseau, R. (2005), "Robert Fairthorne and the empirical power laws", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 61 No. 2, pp. 194-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410510585188