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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1983

ABRAHAM BOOKSTEIN

For reasons of technical convenience, current retrieval algorithms based on probabilistic reasoning are derived from models that assume patrons evaluate documents using a two…

88

Abstract

For reasons of technical convenience, current retrieval algorithms based on probabilistic reasoning are derived from models that assume patrons evaluate documents using a two value relevance scale. This paper extends the theory by describing a model which includes a more general relevance scale. This model permits a re‐examination of the earlier theory as a special case of that developed here and leads to a more satisfying interpretation of the ranking principle of the earlier models.

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Journal of Documentation, vol. 39 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1974

ABRAHAM BOOKSTEIN

M. H. Heine has shown that if one follows the retrieval procedure associated with Swets' model of an information retrieval system it is possible that the inverse relationship…

42

Abstract

M. H. Heine has shown that if one follows the retrieval procedure associated with Swets' model of an information retrieval system it is possible that the inverse relationship between Recall and Precision may not hold. In this paper we extend Heine's result to the case where the criterion‐parameter can assume discrete as well as continuous values. A plausible model of this kind is described and it is shown that for that model, Recall and Precision are in fact inversely related. The condition under which this relation may possibly not hold is then examined, and the conclusion is reached that this behaviour is an effect of the customary retrieval procedure, rather than anything intrinsic in the Swets model itself. An alternative logic is proposed in which the expected relationship is restored, as well as performance improved.

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Journal of Documentation, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Book part
Publication date: 15 July 1991

Abstract

Details

Advances in Librarianship
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-12024-615-1

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 2005

Ronald Rousseau

Aims to review Fairthorne's classic article “Empirical hyperbolic distributions (Bradford‐Zipf‐Mandelbrot) for bibliometric description and prediction” (Journal of Documentation

1046

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.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 61 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 24 September 2001

Robert M. Hayes

Abstract

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Models for Library Management, Decision Making and Planning
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-792-9

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1989

MICHAEL J. NELSON

Distributions of index terms have been used in modelling information retrieval systems and databases. Most previous models used some form of the Zipf distribution. This work uses…

74

Abstract

Distributions of index terms have been used in modelling information retrieval systems and databases. Most previous models used some form of the Zipf distribution. This work uses a probability model of the occurrence of index terms to derive discrete distributions which are mixtures of Poisson and negative binomial distributions. These distributions, the generalised inverse Gaussian‐Poisson and the Generalised Waring give better fits than the simpler Zipf distribution, particularly in the tails of the distribution where the high frequency terms are found. They have the advantage of being more explanatory and can incorporate a time parameter if necessary.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 45 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1991

BLAISE CRONIN

Many scholarly articles acknowledge input from colleagues, mentors and trusted assessors. This study explores the social function and cognitive significance of acknowledgements. A…

175

Abstract

Many scholarly articles acknowledge input from colleagues, mentors and trusted assessors. This study explores the social function and cognitive significance of acknowledgements. A six category typology was developed and applied to 444 acknowledgements which were carried by research articles in JASIS (1970–1990). It is proposed that acknowledgements and citations should be used conjointly in the assessment of research performance and in disciplinary exegesis.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1986

David R. Kohut

Use studies are often important in making decisions about weeding shelves. Circulation records, combined with measures of inhouse use and with more subjective estimations of the…

57

Abstract

Use studies are often important in making decisions about weeding shelves. Circulation records, combined with measures of inhouse use and with more subjective estimations of the value of books, help determine which books may be discarded or relegated to storage. For example, one can predict—and studies have borne out this prediction—that if a book has not circulated within five years of its acquisition, chances are it will not circulate at all. Such a book may be a good candidate for weeding. The question is whether one can also make predictions about books that are used. Studies have shown that books decline in use as they age. If one can determine the rate of this decline, one may be able to predict when books in use will fall into disuse—and thus become candidates for weeding.

Details

Collection Building, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 1987

MANFRED KOCHEN

Authors of scientific articles often read a paper that fails to cite their prior work when they feel it should have. A survey of university faculty shows the extent to which such…

115

Abstract

Authors of scientific articles often read a paper that fails to cite their prior work when they feel it should have. A survey of university faculty shows the extent to which such opinions abound. If justified, they reflect non‐use of bibliographic search methods, their inadequacy or non‐scholarly use of the result. Principles for the design of a new kind of automated or semi‐automated document retrieval system are formulated. They are analysed and shown likely to improve the scholarly quality of scientific work as represented by the bibliographies in manuscripts reporting that work.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 43 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1992

BIRGER HJØRLAND

This article presents a theoretical investigation of the concept of ‘subject’ or ‘subject matter’ in library and information science. Most conceptions of ‘subject’ in the…

1414

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical investigation of the concept of ‘subject’ or ‘subject matter’ in library and information science. Most conceptions of ‘subject’ in the literature are not explicit but implicit. Various indexing and classification theories, including automatic indexing and citation indexing, have their own more or less implicit concepts of subject. This fact puts the emphasis on making the implicit theories of ‘subject matter’ explicit as the first step. A very close connection exists between what subjects are, and how we are to know them. Those researchers who place the subjects in the minds of the users have a conception of ‘subject’ different to that possessed by those who regard the subject as a fixed property of the documents. The key to the definition of the concept of ‘subject’ lies in the epistemological investigation of how we are going to know what we need to know about documents in order to describe them in a way which facilitates information retrieval. The second step therefore is an analysis of the implicit epistemological conceptions in the major existing conceptions of ‘subject’. The different conceptions of ‘subject’ can therefore be classified into epistemological positions, e.g. ‘subjective idealism’ (or the empiric/positivistic viewpoint), ‘objective idealism’ (the rationalistic viewpoint), ‘pragmatism’ and ‘materialism/ realism’. The third and final step is to propose a new theory of subject matter based on an explicit theory of knowledge. In this article this is done from the point of view of a realistic/materialistic epistemology. From this standpoint the subject of a document is defined as the epistemological potentials of that document.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 48 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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