In a critical review of all the empirical laws of bibliometrics and scientometrics, the Russian statistician S.D. Haitun has shown that the application of modern statistical theory to social science data is 'inadmissible', i.e. it 'does not work'.
Haitun thus points to the need to develop a wholly new statistical theory for the social sciences in general and for informetrics in particular. This paper discusses the implications of Haitun's work and explains why the older Bradford law still has an important role to play in the development of a new theory.
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