A small experiment is described which illustrates the extent to which referencing habits and expectations can vary, even within a single professional sub-group. A considerable lack of unanimity was found between author and readers as regards the ideal number and siting of references within the experimental paper. Agreement and divergence is analysed in relation to semantic aspects of the text.
E. Garfield , Can citation indexing be automated? in: M.E. Stevens et al., eds., Statistical Association Methods for Mechanized Documentation, Washington, National Bureau of Standards, Miscellaneous Publication no. 269. (1969) 189-192. (Reprinted in: E. Garfield, Essays of an Information Scientist, Vol. 1, 1962 -1973 (ISI Press, Philadelphia , 1977) pp. 84-90.)
2.
H. Small, Co-citation context analysis and the structure of paradigms, J. Documentation36(3) (September 1980) 183-196.
3.
E. Garfield, op. cit.
4.
P. Murugesan and M.J. Moravcsik, Variation of the nature of citation measures with journals and scientific specialities, J. Amer. Soc. Information Sci.29(3) (1978) 141-148.
