AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS RESEARCH, 1900-1985: GROWTH AND BIBLIOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS Growth Behaviour and Characteristics Authorship and Research Collaboration The Application of Bibliometric Laws

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Date
1988
Authors
THOMPSON, G. AMORIGHOYE
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Abstract
This study was designed to elucidate the growth and bibliometric characteristics Of a typical biomedical discipline, namely African Trypanosomiasis. A number of questions instigated the project. Some aspects of the pattern of growth is still enigmatic because no studies have focussed on the multidisciplinary nature in terms of the growth of the components. Does each component grow exponentially, linearly or otherwise? How does the growth of each component relate to the overall? Does the author productivity pattern fit Lotka's law? Also does the literature dispersion corroborate Bradford's law? Based on the journal productivity pattern which journals can be acquired for cost-effective and costbenefit information services? Besides what effect has PABIT (Far-Backc-In- Time, analysis of the literature on the rank of journals? How do the authors collaborate in producing the papers? What is the pattern of multiple authorship in relation to single authorship? A total of 5139 articles, 1900—1985, were analysed from Tropical Diseases Bulletin and Tsetse and trypanosomiasis Quarterly (TTIQ) using the counting method. African trypanosomiasis literature, earlier characterised by a fluctuating growth, is now one of steady infective exponential growth with a 53-year doubling rate. The decennial average growth rate was about 73% while the average cumulative growth rate was about 48%. All the literature components grow exponentially. The most active are Entomology, (70-year doubling) and Parasitology (60-year doubling). The Overall exponential growth seemed derived by superimposing each component on and above each other—implying a compoundment of exponential growth. Lotka's law does not apply in its original form. However it does apply in the generalised form with exponent of 2.03 when tested with K-S statistical test. The maximum difference in the observed and estimated values of the proportion of the authors was highly insignificant at 0.01 level. The core journals were determined based on the Bradford-Zipf bibliograph. Twelve titles contributed 50% of the articles. Seventy-two published 75% while 240 titles published 90%. The degree of overlap, c, between the FABIT list and the 1965—85 list, is 0,90. The coefficient of correlation, R, is 0.93, showing a high degree of relatedness. Single author papers were 38.51% while 61.49% (3160) were multiple author. The degree of collaboration se indicated by the weighted average is 2.19. The average number of authors per paper is between 2 and 3, though there is an indication of a tilt beyond this.
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SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REOUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF LIBRARY SCIENCE Department of Library Science Faculty of Education Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Keywords
AFRICAN,, TRYPANOSOMIASIS,, RESEARCH,, GROWTH,, BIBLIOMETRIC,, CHARACTERISTICS,, Growth Behaviour,, Characteristics,, Authorship,, Research,, Collaboration,, Application,, Bibliometric Laws
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