‘Bradfordizing’ search output: how it would help online users

Abstract

A new option in resequencing output from online searches of journal literatures is proposed: computerized sorting of hits by the journals in which they appear, and then of journals, high to low, by the number of hits appearing in each. This two‐step operation is called ‘Bradfordizing’ since it ranks journals in order of their yields of hits, in the manner used by S. C. Bradford in formulating his much‐studied law. Benefits envisioned from Bradfordizing output include (1) an online summary report that would show, before hits were printed out, the journals involved in the retrieval and their respective yields; (2) capability to retrieve hits selectively by journal, based on the report; (3) capability to display certain statistics to help in making retrieval decisions, or in the interest of bibliometric research; and (4) printouts of hits arranged in a way that corresponds to journal runs on shelves, thereby helping librarians provide copies of desired items.