Modelling the growth of literature in the area of theoretical population genetics

Different approaches are introduced for studying the growth of scientific knowledge, as reflected through publications and authors. Selected growth models are applied to the cumulated growth of publications and authors in theoretical population genetics from 1907 to 1980. The criteria are studied on which growth models are to be selected for their possible application in the growth of literature. It is concluded that the power model is observed to be the only model among the models studied which best explains the cumulative growth of publication and author counts in the theoretical population genetics.