An increase in scholarly publishing has been accompanied by a proliferation of potentially illegitimate publishers (PIPs), commonly known as "predatory publishers." These PIPs often engage in fraudulent practices and publish articles that are not subject to the same scrutiny as those published in journals from legitimate publishers…

This research identifies the similarities and differences between the MathSciNet search features and functions of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and EBSCOhost platforms. A series of iterative MathSciNet queries were performed on both platforms. For each query, the total number of results and search behavior were documented and analyzed.…

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the peer review of literature search strategies prepared in support of rapid reviews. Methods: A sample of 200 CADTH rapid reviews was selected. For each rapid review meeting the inclusion criteria, the pre-peer-reviewed and corresponding post-peer-reviewed search strategies…

Due to the large volume and exponential growth of biomedical documents (e.g., books, journal articles), it has become increasingly challenging for biomedical search engines to retrieve relevant documents based on users' search queries. Part of the challenge is the matching mechanism of free-text indexing that performs matching based on…

Purpose: The paper aims to assess the utility of non-agriculture-specific information systems, databases, and respective controlled vocabularies (thesauri) in organising and retrieving agricultural information. The purpose is to identify thesaurus-linked tree structures, controlled subject headings/terms (heading words, descriptors), and principal…

Searches for 117 British authors are compared in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL) and the Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLAIB). Authors are organized by period and genre within the early modern era. The number of records for each author was subdivided by format, language of publication,…

This "Project Sheet" describes an on-going project that is being carried out by a group of educational researchers, computer science researchers and librarians from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. The Malaysian Education Index (MEI) has two main functions--(1) Online Indexing System, and (2) Online Repository System. In this brief…

Through the decades, the kinds of materials found in libraries have grown and changed, adapting to the needs of library users as well as economic, social, and even environmental factors. Similarly, the presentation format for cataloging content has changed. Another change is about to emerge in cataloging, and its name is FRBR (Functional…

Applies a prefix trie index, or trie hashing, to the problem of providing fast search times, fast load times, and fast update properties in a bibliographic or full-text retrieval system with inverted files. Statistics are given for a test database consisting of an online catalog at the University of Western Ontario. (Author/LRW)

Describes the processes involved in producing databases based on observations at the H. W. Wilson Company, Information Access Company (IAC), and UMI/Data Courier. Collection development decisions are discussed; serials ordering and receiving procedures are reviewed; and the indexing process is described, including abstracting, quality control, and…

Describes a study that examined the ability of the dBase database management system to perform secondary key retrieval on multivalued data items. The results are presented as time cost relative to the number of matching records, and situations in which a different management system might be appropriate are identified. (CLB)

Reviews the literature that examines new capabilities and new problems associated with online catalogs, online searching of bibliographic databases, indexing, full text retrieval, and expert systems. The need for research that focuses on individual needs and that adopts an integrated approach which views indexing and retrieval as interrelated…

Describes a project that was designed to test the relative efficacy of index terms and full-text for the retrieval of documents in MEDLINE journals. Precision and relevance of citations retrieved from full-text databases versus bibliographic databases is discussed, and the addition of MEDLINE indexing to enhance full-text medical journals is…

This paper reviews the services provided by the ERIC system and suggests ways to broaden its scope through coordination with other existing education databases. The first of four major sections chronicles the evolution of ERIC and explains why it has not been able to exercise true bibliographic control over the literature of education. The second…

Presents a general overview of the development of Information Science Abstracts. The historical perspective, including the contributions of individuals and institutions, is discussed; its coverage is compared with that of other information science databases; and retrieval capabilities are described. (four references) (Author/CLB)