Examines the justification for applying concepts of economics to decisions about information services. (Author/LS)

Describes the STATUS information retrieval system, which is a free text, Boolean-type system, concentrating on recent developments and improvements. The use of pre- and postprocessors is discussed, and how STATUS can be integrated into existing information systems is illustrated. An appendix lists selected users and applications. (Author/JD)

Some problems arising in the combination of discipline-oriented retrieval systems for the purpose of constructing a specialized retrieval system for a multidisciplinary topic are considered. A compromise solution involving an augmented combined index is suggested. (4 references) (Author/NH)

The indexing depth in several documentation systems is shown to have a mixed Poisson distribution. (PF)

Explores the possibility of combining the two principles of ranking according to degree of relevance, and ranking according to probability of relevance, for information retrieval systems, but concludes that, while neither is adequate alone, no single, all-embracing ranking principle can be constructed to replace the two. (Author/VT)

The inverse relationship of recall and precision is not a fundamental law. It must not be used as an excuse for failing to bring about any overall improvement in the performance of information retrieval systems (12 references) (Author/NH)

The various applications of the Agricultural System for Storage and Subsequent Selection of Information (ASSASSIN) are outlined and the ways a single package may be used complete, or in part, or with modification are shown. (2 references) (Author/NH)

The development of the INSPEC vocabulary system which comprises a unified indexing and classification scheme is described together with the reasons for its adoption. (Author)

A test was carried out to investigate the assumption that there is a significant level of redundancy between documents. The conclusions were that notional overlap exists, but there appear to be very few cases of extreme redundancy, and at the document level, there is little possibility of practical application. (Author)

Cost data were collected from eighteen computer-based systems in the U.S.A. and Europe. Analysis of the data shows costs affected more significantly by system management, salary variations, and productivity of staff, than by technical factors such as depth of indexing, data preparation methods, or computer programming. (4 references) (Author/SJ)

This historical study explores a definition of information management that centers on the ordering and channeling of non-publicly available information within organizations. Highlights three types of organizations: the business corporation; the library; and the state agency, specifically British military intelligence. (Contains 44…

A model is proposed to explain the retrieval characteristics of an information retrieval system. (Author)

Suggests that a possible reason for receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves having a slope other than unity when plotted on Normal-deviate axes is that the dichotomy into relevant and nonrelevant items is artificial, and that there is really a bivariate distribution of objective relevance and relevance as assessed by the information…

With a view to obtaining a set of standard times for information system operations, Aslib Research Department is developing and testing methods for collecting and analysing data on the time taken to perform certain operations. The current state of development of these methods is described. (2 references) (Author/NH)

Causes of Boolean failures to retrieve relevant MEDLARS index references are: search formulator failed to include important terms, indexer failed to include important terms, and misunderstanding of user's needs. On the evidence of this test the Probabilistic search is at least a partial solution to these problems. (8 references) (Author/NH)