Describes a new signature file method, called the multiorganizational scheme, for accessing information from large databases containing both formatted and free-text data. Implementation issues are discussed, and computational results based on a mathematical model are presented, as well as results using a library database. (43 references) (MES)

Discussion of information retrieval and the derivation of new knowledge from bibliographic databases focuses on medical journal literature. Topics discussed include the incomplete coverage of medical literature on databases; searching by free text or title words versus searching by assigned subject headings; and the implications of these factors…

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)

Discussion of a new method of index term dictionary compression in an inverted-file-oriented database highlights a technique of word coding, which generates short fixed-length codes obtained from the index terms themselves by analysis of monogram and bigram statistical distributions. Substantial savings in communication channel utilization are…

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…

Broad subject headings which have been assigned to each of the 86 data bases available or announced on the five major on-line search systems--Lockheed, SDC, BRS, NIM, and New York Times Information Bank--are arranged alphabetically followed by the name(s) of the appropriate data base(s). (JPF)

This brief review of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system is intended to make users more aware of (1) the system as a whole, (2) the process of indexing educational literature for the database, and (3) the role of the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors in the overall information dissemination process. An overview of the ERIC…

Investigated the relative merits of searching on titles, subject headings, abstracts, free-language terms, and combinations of these elements. The combination of titles and abstracts came the closest to 100 percent retrieval. (Author/PF)

The error-correcting algorithm described was constructed to examine subject headings in online catalog records for common errors such as omission, addition, substitution, and transposition errors, and to make needed changes. Essentially, the algorithm searches the authority file for a record whose primary key exactly matches the test key. If an…

Explores the potential for a fully developed energy vocabulary conversion guide. Reports on the analysis and integration of 11 existing vocabularies. (Author/PF)

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)

Describes the development of a structural model of document retrieval based on lexical-semantic relationships between index terms. An algorithm that uses tree-to-tree distance to measure structural closeness between a document and a query statement is explained, and the proposed model is compared to a vector retrieval model. (18 references) (LRW)

Examines the use of various statistical techniques for generating domain-oriented multiword vocabulary terms for natural language database systems. Conclusions show the vocabulary clustering effect should be considered when making significance calculations and that a simple ratio of subject matter relative frequency to total sample relative…

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…

Describes fast, dynamic update algorithms for document retrieval systems. B-trees are discussed; the M-B-T file directory structure is explained; insertions and deletions in inverted files are described; and performance evaluation is discussed. An appendix provides the formal definition of an M-B-T directory. (Contains 18 references.) (LRW)