The myth of half right reference

Abstract

It has been said and re-said that reference librarians only answer roughly 50% of reference questions correctly. But while this statistic is passed around as fact – where does it come from? In this paper, I track down the elusive citation using backwards chaining, citation analysis, and historical tracing. And then, I will re-examine the study that appeared to start it all through a modern lens, ultimately suggesting that we abandon the idea of half right reference once and for all.