Examines the distribution of bibliographic records in online bibliographic databases using 14 different search topics on DIALOG. Discusses the presence of duplicate records and problems with lexical ambiguity, and concludes that the number of databases needed for searches with varying complexities of search strategies is much more topic dependent…

Offers 20 multiple choice questions to test the reader's knowledge of characteristics of the ERIC online database. The levels of expertise indicated by scores obtained on the quiz are given and suggested further readings are provided. (CLB)

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 compared the coverage of the nursing profession, subject heading specificity, and ease of retrieval of the MEDLINE and Nursing & Allied Health (CINAHL) online databases. The strengths and weaknesses of each database are discussed and hints for searching on both databases are provided. (four references) (CLB)

Describes a study that analyzed search results in the medical behavioral sciences to compare the overall performance of descriptor and citation search strategies in identifying relevant and novel documents. The findings are presented in terms of retrieval overlap and novelty percentages, and factors affecting retrieval performance are discussed.…

This study investigated online searching behavior manifested by 39 experienced professional searchers performing their regular, job-related searches in order to uncover the rules they use for the selection of search keys, and to represent these rules in a formal model that could be used in the construction of intermediary expert systems. The case…

Investigates retrieval performance of controlled and uncontrolled subject representations as a function of retrieval expectation in the cystic fibrosis (CF) database. (Contains 22 references.) (KRN)

Summarizes the findings of a recent study on the indexing practices used in the Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) database. Descriptors, or indexing terms, from the thesaurus are analyzed; searching implications are discussed; and the relationship between the classification code and the descriptors is examined. (Contains 21…

Developed at the beginning of the decade to serve as a union catalog for identifying the holdings in all University of California (UC) libraries, the MELVYL online catalog as of October 1989 contained 10 million holdings for over 5 million monographic titles of print and nonprint materials, and more than 1.2 million periodicals holdings which…

Describes a project that examined the effects of incorporating subject terms from the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) into a bibliographic database. It is concluded that the incorporation of DDC and possibly other library classifications into online catalogs can enhance subject access and provide additional subject searching strategies. (11…

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…

Discusses an experiment with the "Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors" which aimed to adapt established criteria for the evaluation of information retrieval systems to the assessment of searcher performance in online bibliographic searching. The concept of relevance is discussed, and the Cranfield paradigm for the evaluation of information…

Compares free text versus controlled vocabulary searching for information relating to women's issues on the ERIC laserdisk database from Dialog. Topics discussed include terminology and women's studies; Boolean operators; and adequacy of the ERIC thesaurus for searching relevant topics including women's social roles, antiabortion movement, teenage…

This manual introduces the novice searcher to ERIC on Disc and discusses how to prepare for a search by creating a search statement; how to locate ERIC terms using the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors; and how to modify and limit the search using boolean logic. A computer keyboard illustration accompanies descriptions of the functions of the…

Opening with an introduction to the ERIC database, this guide provides a description of the organization and content of the SilverPlatter version of ERIC on CD-ROM. Citing examples of its uses, the guide explains the "Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors," and provides a diagram of the computer keyboard used for searching ERIC using…