The norms of citation behavior: Prolegomena to the footnote

The publications explosion has focused renewed attention on the lowly footnote. While we are all at least partially aware of the technical functions of the citation for both the writer and the reader of the scientific paper, little is known about the norms operating in actual practice. Even less is known about the operating norms with respect to the more sociological functions, including the acknowledgement of intellectual debts or the conferral...