This work aims to present an alternative way to apply the methods of Operational Research to bibliometric phenomena that appeared in the beginning of the XXth century, and that are polemical until now-a-days. Among several formulations in the bibliometric area, the so called "Bradford's law" is the focus of the present research. Such attempts could be a way to fit bibliometric concepts into a reasonable form, sustaining or discarding descriptions or principles derived from its empirical formulæ. Comparing the journal scattering with some similar phenomena that were studied in Chaos Theory - solved by Operational Research (OP) -, it is possible to find an explanation for the anomalous behavior of Bradford's curves in certain critical conditions. In order to bring some evidence forward to this essay on Bibliometry, two practical cases of OP were adapted in order to solve typical bibliometric problems. Furthermore, there are hints throughout this paper that points out commonalities between Bibliometry and the Chaos Theory. Hence, this essay brought to bear a question on us to think about: could OP contribute to Information Science with deterministic and bayesian models to explain bibliometric phenomena?
Bibliometry; Bradford's law; Operational research; Chaos; Information science; Bayesian inference
