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An examination of the literature distributions of three scientific specialties

Abstract

An examination was conducted of the distributions produced by historical treatments of three scientific specialties: quantum mechanics, plate tectonics, and endocrinology. A citation analysis approach was employed to generate a frequency distribution for year of publication of literature referenced by historians. The observed values were normalized and tested for goodness of fit to each other using a Pearson goodness of fit test. The results indicated that the three distributions were not equivalent. Other parameters of the three distributions did show similarities using aDunn planned comparison approach. The skewness of the three distributions was very similar and plate tectonics and endocrinology were similar in terms of kurtosis. The major conclusion reached was that there were major differences in the three distributions but some similarities in particular parameters were evident. Additional work is necessary to determine causal factors for the differences as well as similarities.

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Hurt, C.D. An examination of the literature distributions of three scientific specialties. Scientometrics 6, 115–126 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02021287

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02021287

Keywords

  • Quantum Mechanic
  • Frequency Distribution
  • Analysis Approach
  • Causal Factor
  • Additional Work