Skip to main content
Log in

Lotka and Zipf: Paper dragons with fuzzy tails

  • Published:
Scientometrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A linear correlation exists between the Lotka frequency and Zipf rank distribution functions. Relatively good correlation coefficients were found, but slope constants are not consistent with theory. They show that information distributions are not homogeneous and cannot be completely described by two parameter functions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. I. K. R. RAO, The distribution of scientific productivity and social change,Journal American Society Information Science, 31 (1980) 111.

    Google Scholar 

  2. H. S. SICHEL, A bibliometric distribution which really works,Journal American Society Information Science, 36 (1985) 314.

    Google Scholar 

  3. M. L. PAO, Lotka's law: A testing procedure,Information Processing Management, 21 (1985) 305.

    Google Scholar 

  4. M. L. PAO, An empirical examination of Lotka's law.Journal American Society of Information Science, 37 (1986) 26.

    Google Scholar 

  5. P. T. NICHOLLS, Empirical validation of Lotka's law,Information Processing Management, 22 (1986) 417.

    Google Scholar 

  6. S. D. HAITUN, Stationary scientometric distributions, Part I. Different approximations,Scientometrics, 4 (1982) 5.

    Google Scholar 

  7. S. D. HAITUN, Stationary scientometric distributions, Part II. Non-Gaussian nature of scientific activities,Scientometrics, 4 (1982) 89.

    Google Scholar 

  8. S. D. HAITUN, Stationary scientometric distributions, Part III. The role of the Zipf distribution,Scientometrics, 4 (1982) 181.

    Google Scholar 

  9. S. D. HAITUN, Problems of quantitative analysis of scientific activities: The non-additivity data, Part I. Statement and solution,Scientometrics, 10 (1986) 3.

    Google Scholar 

  10. S. D. HAITUN, Problems of quantitative analysis of scientific activities: The non-additivity data, Part II. Corollaries,Scientometrics, 4 (1986) 133.

    Google Scholar 

  11. M. KUNZ, A case study against Haitun's conjectures.Scientometrics, 13 (1988) 25.

    Google Scholar 

  12. A. L. YABLONSKY, Stable Non-Gaussian distributions in scientometrics,Scientometrics, 7 (1985) 459.

    Google Scholar 

  13. L. EGGHE, Consequences of Lotka's law for the law of Bradford,Journal of Documentation, 41 (1985) 173.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Y. S. CHEN, F. F. LEIMKUHLER,Journal American Society Information Science, 37 (1986) 307.

    Google Scholar 

  15. W. GLANZEL, A. SCHUBERT, Price distribution. An exact formulation of Price's “square root law”,Scientometrics, 7 (1985) 211.

    Google Scholar 

  16. B. C. BROOKES, Toward informetrics: Haitun, Laplace, Zipf, Bradford and the Alvey programme,Journal of Documentation, 40 (1984) 120.

    Google Scholar 

  17. A. LOTKA, The frequency distribution of scientific productivity,Journal Washington Academy of Sciences, 16 (1926) 317.

    Google Scholar 

  18. F. DURST, M. MACAGNO, Experimental particle size distributions and their representation by log-hyperbolic functions,Powder Technology, 45 (1986) 223.

    Google Scholar 

  19. J. VLACHÝ, Evaluating the distribution of individual performance,Scientia Yugoslavica, 6 (1980) 267.

    Google Scholar 

  20. M. TĚŠITELOVÁ,Kvantitativní linguistika, Praha, SNP, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  21. G. HERDAN,Quantitative Linguistics, Butterworths, London, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kunz, M. Lotka and Zipf: Paper dragons with fuzzy tails. Scientometrics 13, 289–297 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02019964

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02019964

Keywords

Navigation