The present value of the “half-life” in the citation-material of periodicals of scientific geography

Abstract

In continuation of the study of “half-life” as an “obsolescence index” of informatics the author processed and analysed the citation-material of 50 periodicals of scientific geography (41 of them being of a “general” – and 9 of a “branch”-character) taken from the 1969 issues. The choice of periodicals was made on the basis of several aspects – according to the possibilities – as that it should reflect by and large the present structure of information-flow of geographical sciences and at the same time each continent should be represented by at least one periodical.

The dated and treated citation-material consists of 27.316 citations. The method of processing was the same as in an earlier study of the author (TMT, 20. 1973. No. 2. p.89–111.), but in the present paper a grouping of periodicals and data according to states was also made. The values of indices are given in Table III. – Table IV. brings separately the data of three periodical-groups (France, German Federal Republic and USA) which are the most significant when treatment is made according to the new aspect, i.e. the state where publication (i.e. editing) is made, without taking into account the profile of the periodicals according to the branches of sciences.

Statistical analysis has led to the following important results:

=A= The “obsolescence indices” of the citation-material of geographical sciences’ periodicals are contradicting to the wide-spread views of today, according to which high-level knowledge-material resp. special literature getting obsolescence in a few years.

=B= The “obsolescence indices” of scientific geography are corroborating the result of the previous study stating the irreality of the “t-factor” of POPILOV.

=C= Both the average “half-life” (FI) as well as the “average age” (ÁÉ) of the citation-material surpass significantly (by 6,94 and 10,17 years, respectively by 63,6 and 111,8%/ the average values obtained with the citation-material of the natural sciences’ periodicals.

=D= The “obsolescence indices” of a single periodical representing “geomorphology” in the previously investigated sample-materials of natural sciences’ periodicals (the maximums of the sample taken) were sufficient to represent essentially in a correct manner the conditions of citation-material of geomorphological periodicals.

=E= The scattering range of “obsolescence indices” of the citation-material of geographical sciences’ periodicals surpasses by several times the measure of scattering found in the previous study concerning natural sciences’ periodicals (this having been estimated as “very high” then).

=F= The extremely high scattering of “obsolescence indices” of scientific geography – the existence of which as of a homogeneous or uniform science has been questioned – is due to the extremely heterogeneous nature of citation-material of periodicals with a profile of a “general geography”-character. The obsolescence indices and their scattering of periodicals with a profile of a “branch”-character (of the “natural geography” and of the “human geography”) are practically on the same level as the conditions found in the special periodicals of natural sciences.

=G= Neither the values of “half-lifes”, nor the values of “average ages” and their scatterings show any connections to the average extension of papers of the periodicals or to the average size of citation-material of the papers. Moreover, neither the values of indices FI and ÁÉ, nor their scattering do depend on the publication-age of periodicals.

=H= There is, however, a definite and unequivocal connection to be seen between the value, resp. scattering of “obsolescence in-dices” and the publication-locality of periodicals, this latter being defined by the act of publishing in a given state. According to Table IV. this connection remains apparent definitely and unequivocally, if we merge into one group all the periodicals of different profiles published in the same state. Thus, the theoretical supposition previously enounced by the author has proved itself – at least as a working hypothesis as correct: according to which there is a one-sided connection between the value of so-called “obsolescence indices” and the method of editing of periodicals developed and commonly used in a given state (where the concept of “method of editing” should contain also the “citation habit” of the authors of papers as influenced by the editorial office).