Using Web of Science to study the growth of an area of research

[Loet Leydesdorff]

Dear Carol, 

It is not completely correct. The number in small prints of the total set is
not confined to articles. Insofar as I know, it is all documents in the
database. 

> I have been assured means that XXX,XXX,XXX is the total number of 
> articles that were included in the WOS Sci Ed database for that year.
> 
> Thus it is possible to get a simple ratio between the number of total 
> articles and the number of articles that appeared on a 
> particular topic 
> in a particular year.
> 
> I have been assured by two Thomson consultants that this is 
> true, but I 
> would be very grateful if someone from this list would agree 
> that this 
> is the correct understanding of these figures.
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Carol
> 
> -- 
> Carol A. Brach
> Engineering Librarian
> University of Notre Dame
> (574)631-5070
> 
Best wishes, Loet
________________________________

Loet Leydesdorff 
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam.
Tel. +31-20-525 6598; fax: +31-842239111
loet at leydesdorff.net ; http://www.leydesdorff.net/