Litarefnum

Litarefnum is a proposed metric in the field of digital humanities for quantifying intertextual density in a literary corpus. It aims to measure how densely a text alludes to, cites, or reworks other literary works within its own text.

The term blends latin-inspired elements: litera from literature and refnum as a shorthand for reference number. It is intended to describe a measurable score rather than a qualitative judgment of quality or originality.

A litarefnum score is computed by counting distinct references detected within the text, weighting by type (direct quotation, paraphrase, or allusion), and normalizing per 1000 words while adjusting for language and publication era. The approach combines text mining techniques with bibliographic matching to differentiate genuine intertextual signals from incidental similarities.

Researchers use litarefnum to compare intertextuality across genres or periods, to map authorial influence, or to study stylistic practices and legacy networks. It can support bibliographic studies, literary criticism, and corpus linguistics by providing a standardized, comparable metric for intertextual presence.

Methodological challenges include distinguishing intentional allusion from incidental similarity, processing non-English or translated texts, copyright constraints, and varying thresholds for what constitutes a reference. Critics note that the metric depends on detection algorithms and reference databases, which can introduce biases.

Origin and reception: the concept appeared in informal discussions in the early 2010s and has appeared in a limited number of studies; it lacks a formal standard or broad consensus and remains a topic of debate within digital humanities. See also intertextuality, bibliometrics, text mining.