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CHAPTER 9

The Informetric Laws

9.1 INTRODUCTION
In this chapter we focus on a set of statistical regularities occurring in the
field of information science. We will show that these regularities do not
only occur in the information sciences: they are ubiquitous. These regu-
larities are mathematical formulae related to groups such as authors, jour-
nals, symbols in texts, and so forth.
Informetric theory can be seen as an attempt to connect empirical
techniques to an empirical science. The relation between informetrics
and the information sciences can be compared with the relation between
econometrics and economy, or biometrics and general biology.
The number of “information theoretical” properties (to be understood
in a very general sense) that can be studied is almost limitless. In this con-
text, Egghe (1990) introduced the notions of one-dimensional, two-
dimensional and three-dimensional informetrics, depending on the number
of informetric objects one studies simultaneously, see further in this
Chapter for one- and two-dimensional informetrics. These investigations
can be performed at a specific moment in time (a static view), or as a func-
tion of time (a dynamic view).

9.2 ONE-DIMENSIONAL INFORMETRICS
9.2.1 Examples

We present here some examples of informetric objects that are the topic
of investigation in one-dimensional informetric studies. Such studies are
the result of elementary data collections, becoming more interesting
when performed as time studies, leading to functions which have, hope-
fully, a more than local or single-use importance. Examples of one-
dimensional informetric studies, among others, are:
• The number of authors active in a given domain.
• The number of journals published in a given domain.
• The number of journals in a given domain, covered by a specific
database.

Becoming Metric-Wise © 2018 Elsevier Ltd.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102474-4.00009-1 All rights reserved. 293