A comparison of ERIC and LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) indexing of the three journals--Online, Online Review, and Database--revealed some differences but more similarities in number of terms per article and concepts per article. A vocabulary which distinguished the field of online searching did emerge. (Author/EM)

Describes the concept of maximum indexing, a system aimed at achieving maximum recall and maximum precision in computerized information retrieval. The indexing strategies used to achieve maximum indexing and the problems that arise are discussed. (9 references) (CLB)

Explains a new methodology for thesaurus design that is specifically geared for use by novice end-users, and describes a faceted hierarchical thesaurus organization which provides an economical information retrieval system in a corporate setting. (Author/LRW)

Proposes split model for index term distribution in document set that uses rank function for high frequency terms and size function for low frequency terms; the point of transition is determined either empirically or by rule. Distributions to describe index term exhaustivity and term co-occurrence are considered briefly. (36 references) (EJS)

This research project was motivated by results of earlier work (Katzer et al., 1982) on the overlap among document representations. In the earlier study, one representation used in the INSPEC database proved to perform unexpectedly well in comparison with other commonly used representations, such as controlled vocabulary or free-text terms from…

Selection and acquisition of relevant materials for building and developing an information infrastructure are modern worldwide problems. This document provides a core listing of journals in the earth sciences in an effort to develop a tool for the improvement of information handling and transfer. The core list was generated using several databases…

Discusses the difficulties encountered in accessing online information on women and women's issues that results from the indexing of relevant items across several databases. A project designed to index literature on employment, equality, and gender within a single database is described. (CLB)

Review of office filing facility filing and retrieval mechanisms for unstructured and mixed media information focuses on free text methods. Also discussed are the state of the art in handling voice and image data, problems with searching text surrogates to implement free text content retrieval, and work of Project Minstrel. (Author/MBR)

Traditional library skills have been augmented since the introduction of online computerized database services. Because of the complexity of the field, forensic psychology can benefit enormously from the application of comprehensive bibliographic search strategies. The study reported here demonstrated the bibliographic results obtained when a…

Analysis of current methods for achieving compatibility or convertibility between two or more indexing languages draws attention to the need for a switching language to establish equivalency between concepts, not terms. In order to examine the assumption of the conceptual equivalency of identical terms in the indexing languages of related subject…

Describes the development of a bibliographic information system designed to assist architecture/engineering firms under contract to the Army Corps of Engineers in locating regulations or guidelines for the planning, design, or construction of army facilities. A sample search of the system is appended. (Author/CLB)

Discusses indeterminancy of selection of terms by indexers and by inquirers as major factors influencing subject access to documents in document retrieval systems. Five types of interactions between these two indeterminancies are discussed, and a change in traditional method of subject searching is suggested to reduce effect of inter-indexer…

A comparison of the effectiveness of information retrieval based on full-text documents with retrieval based on paragraphs, abstracts, or controlled vocabularies was accomplished using a subset of journal articles with nine search questions. It was found that full-text retrieval achieved significantly higher recall and lower precision than did the…

Describes Information on Demand, an information broker that provides database and manual research on a fee for service basis, and accesses more than a dozen online systems. Relative strengths and weaknesses of particular systems and the criteria used to select databases and online vendors are identified and discussed. (CLB)

Assesses the impact of current coverage and indexing policies on MEDLINE's retrieval performance in the medical behavioral sciences literature by comparing retrievals in EXCERPTA MEDICA, PSYCHINFO, SCISEARCH, and SOCIAL SCISEARCH. Searches were made with descriptors, cited references, and natural language, and recall, precision, and novelty ratios…