Examines online search results of sample questions in several databases covering linguistics, cultural anthropology, and physical anthropology in order to determine if and where any overlap in results might occur, and which files have greatest number of relevant hits. Search results by database are given for each subject area. (EJS)

Discusses the inclusion of citations to literary articles that have appeared in medical journals in National Library of Medicine's database, MEDLINE. Highlights include search aids, search strategies, sample references, and five publications that serve as orientations to current status of movement toward interdisciplinary study of medicine and…

Presents findings of project aimed at improving subject access in online library catalogs by generating records with augmented subject descriptions, termed BOOKS records, and comparing them with MARC records. Procedures involved in the selection of subject descriptions to generate a BOOKS record are described and illustrated. Six references cited.…

Assesses the major databases for retrieval of mental health information (PSYCINFO, MEDLINE, NIMH) on the basis of journal coverage, controlled vocabulary, abstracts, and performance in actual searches. Thirteen references, database information (producer, availability/cost, coverage, updates/currency), comparison of journal coverage by selected…

Reviews the process of tailoring an online search that would span several files on the topic of music during the childbirth experience. Search strategies and terms used in PsycINFO, Mental Health Abstracts, MEDLINE, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, Social Scisearch, Scisearch, and Dissertation Abstracts Online are noted. A nine-item bibliography is…

Results of comparison of online and manual searching of same subject favor online searching, which found 87 percent of relevant titles versus 33 percent for manual search. A simple search strategy produced nearly as many citations as complex search, and over two-thirds of records came from two of 13 files searched. (EJS)

Summarizes the results of a study accessing music coverage in 11 databases--ABI/INFORM, AMERICA--HISTORY AND LIFE, ERIC, HISTORICAL ABSTRACTS, INSPEC, MAGAZINE INDEX, MLA BIBLIOGRAPHY, NATIONAL NEWSPAPER INDEX, PUBLIC AFFAIRS INFORMATION SERVICE INTERNATIONAL, PSYCHINFO, and SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS. Selection of search terms and relevance of items…

Discusses three approaches to thesaurus and indexing/retrieval language maintenance for combined databases: reindexing, merging, and initial standardization. Two thesauri for a combined database are evaluated in terms of their compatibility, and indexing practices are compared. Tables and figures help illustrate aspects of the comparison. (SW)

Focuses on several databases currently available on Bibliographic Retrieval Services (BRS) for searching international business and management research online--ABI/INFORM, MANAGEMENT CONTENTS, PREDICASTS (bibliographical and statistical)--noting scope and coverage, thesaurus and descriptors, and search strategies. Predicasts file structure and…

Profiles the SPORT database, produced by Sport Information Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, which provides extensive coverage of individual sports including practice, training and equipment, recreation, sports medicine, physical education, sport facilities, and international sport history. Olympic coverage in SPORT, sports sciences, online…

Examines ways in which names and titles may be used in online searching (definition of new concepts, enhancements of searches by improving recall or precision, search expression development for multi-database searching). Personal names, book and movie titles, names of affiliating and sponsoring bodies, and journal titles are considered. (12…

Evaluates criminal justice coverage in on-line, commercially available data bases using both "Hot Topics" and general profiles. Charts show topics covered, periodicals indexed by each data base, and recommendations for which data base to use for various topics; appendixes present indexing terms used by and annotations for selected data…

Examines current events databases that are general in coverage--Abstrax 400, UPI News, Information Access Corporation's databases. Documentation and personal name searching, basic database structure, retrieval of personal names as subjects, precision, improving recall, and do's and don'ts are covered. Summary of retrieval methods and sample…

Describes the creation of Bibliographic Retrieval Services/TERM, a vocabulary database providing controlled vocabulary descriptors and natural language synonyms for thousands of concepts related to behavioral and social sciences. Inspiration behind TERM, basic decisions, integrating vocabularies, database design, and production are highlighted.…

This guide to searching for "America: History and Life," a bibliographic database offering resources on topics in social sciences, humanities, and arts in the United States and Canada, covers subject scope, selection and coverage, document types and records, combined entries, subject indexing, personal names, geographic names, historical periods,…