strange Alta Vista citation results

[Christy Hightower]

I have been getting very strange results from Alta Vista when I try to 
get citation counts.  Has this happened to anyone else?  Can anyone 
speculate on the cause?  I sent email to Alta Vista weeks ago but as yet 
no answer.

Here is what happens:

In the Advance search form I choose display as count only, and enter this 
search:

link:http://scilib.ucsd.edu/ AND NOT url:http://scilib.ucsd.edu/

I get 2218 as the answer.

Then, without changing anything, I immediately click on the submit query 
button again.  The count changes to 1344.  If I submit it again, the 
count changes to 1059.

Then I requested a fresh new advanced search form, and entered the exact 
same search.  This time the answer was 733.

Whats happening here?  


--  Christy Hightower
    UCSD Science & Engineering Library
    chightow at ucsd.edu