Examines the role of theory in information science. (PF)

Classification is interpreted so as to incorporate all attempts at the imposition of order upon our observations of the universe. In this article, the fundamental bases of classification are examined: in particular the alien notions of mutual exclusivity and the use of inflexible structures to mirror a dynamic universe. (26 references) (Author/KE)

Discusses the large body of work on information concepts developed in the USSR and appends a selected bibliography to serve as a guide to the Soviet literature of information for information science. (Author/PF)

Goffman's epidemic theory is presented and compared to the contagion theory developed by Menzel. An attempt is made to compare the two models presented and examine their similarities and differences. The conclusion drawn is that the two models are very similar in their approach to understanding communication processes. (14 references) (Author/SJ)

The imminent societal imperative, management of knowledge as a social resource, appears to be a viable new framework for defining major roles and tasks for theory-oriented work in information science. (Author)

An experiment concerned with presentation formats for Dialectic Information Systems (DIS) is described. The experiment investigates the effects of explicit DIS training on an individual's world view. (Author/PF)

The concept of information is examined within the framework of the Mathematical Theory of Communication and semiotics, the study of signs and sign systems. The implications of these theories for the better understanding of information as we deal with this concept in the context of information systems are discussed. (8 references) (Author)

Entropies of surrogates such as citations, abstracts, first paragraphs, last paragraphs, and first and last paragraphs are measures of how well each class of surrogates predicts relevancy of documents. They are measures of meaningful information in the text of surrogates. Such measures of information are important to information system designers.…

A generalized framework for developing analytical and conceptual relationships involving the flow of information has previously been suggested. This paper provides further refinement, rigor, and extension for some of the earlier relationships suggested. (12 references) (Author)

Because of an absence of theory, rules and conventions for thesaurus construction and maintenance, an investigation of how thesauri are actually updated was conducted. Two concepts crucial to any theoretical foundation of thesauri and two techniques for systematic updating of a thesaurus are presented for consideration. (46 references) (Author/KE)

This second of two related articles by the same authors describes a simulation model which permits examination of the interrelationship between information and decision making for a variety of situations. Prototype experiments which place human decision makers in an interactive decision-making mode are also described. Five references are cited.…

Examines definitions of information and highlights a definition that is independent of any specific discipline. Topics include processes; a hierarchical model of information transmission; information representation; information theory; belief and knowledge; and errors, misinformation, and bad data. (67 references) (Author/LRW)

A hypothetical methodology is presented for measuring retrieval effectiveness by using the personal utility, based on a user's subjective evaluation, of a retrieval system's output. Because the methodology is impractical, compromise methods are outlined and their underlying assumptions, which can serve as criteria for formulating appropriate…

The third of a series, this article describes prototype experiments which place human decision makers in an interactive decision-making situation, presents results typical of those thus far observed in the prototype experiments, and describes preliminary analysis of the data. Three references are listed. (FM)

Argues that in information science we must distinguish physical, objective, or document space from perspective, subjective, or information space and holds that transformations can easily be made once these two spaces are distinguished. (FM)