An Application of Bradford’s Law of Scattering and Leimkuhler Model: Identification of the Core Journals of India Cancer Research Productivity

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines the theoretical aspects of Bradford’s Law and Leimkuhler Model, their relevance across subject areas, their implementation forms, and their significance in Indian cancer research literature. The study analyzes 16,914 research papers published in 2,277 journals on cancer research in India between 2012 and 2021, sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The total number of citations obtained from these papers is 378,409, and a ranking table of journals and their citations is provided. The first phase of the study applies Bradford’s Law in verbal and algebraic forms to identify the journal distribution pattern, revealing a high percentage of error. The Leimkuhler Model estimates the number of journals in the core and successive zones, resulting in a minor percentage error of 0.00030171278%. The study identifies the International Journal of Cancer and PLoS One as core journals, emphasizing their importance in Indian cancer research. The findings can benefit oncologists, researchers, practitioners, and medical librarians in understanding scientific literature distribution and promoting research output effectively.