Sixty-one students provided the Library of Congress (LC) subject terms they would use to search an academic library catalog in 30 hypothetical searches. Students had difficulty developing strategies. The study concluded that LC subject cataloging needs rationalization. (KP)

This report describes recent efforts to modify, test, and evaluate an experimental online database consisting of 15 vendor-supplied, controlled subject vocabularies or thesauri. The experimental database, called the Vocabulary Switching System (VSS), is designed to enhance search strategies and ultimately retrieval performance for users of online…

Describes two factors affecting the results of manual and online information retrieval: the manner by which classification codes and key words are chosen, and the degree to which papers with comparable contents are accorded similar keywords. Of 14 alternative search strategies selected, the best consisted of using classification codes coupled with…

The performance of a selective dissemination of information service based on computer scanning of Nuclear Science Abstracts tapes was compared with a current awareness service based on visual scanning of journals and reports by information specialists. (6 references) (Author/SJ)

Provides database descriptions of ABI/INFORM and Management Contents, two of the most heavily used files for current information on management practices and concepts, recent product development, and production and marketing statistics. Topics addressed include coverage of source publications and currency, indexing policies and practices, and…

Presents results of a study that examined the effectiveness of adjacency operators in improving precision and recall in FirstSearch title keyword searches. Compared subject headings of retrieved items to sample title subject headings and discovered that when keywords were limited in meaning and adjacency operators were used, precision was…

Three indexes to a collection of 3204 documents in the field of chemistry were test searched. The indexes are a keyword from title index without added keywords, a keyword from title index with added keywords, and a single access point per document alphabetic subject index. The three indexes were searched by 14 graduate chemistry students with 66…

Describes a survey that examined ways in which users interacted with the authority control of online catalogs developed commercially and locally. The two types of system are compared in terms of displayed messages related to authority control and system capabilities to aid users in understanding the relationships between headings. (CLB)

Identifies and describes online databases containing references to materials on artificial intelligence, robotics, and expert systems, and compares them in terms of scope and usage. Recommendations for conducting online searches on artificial intelligence and related fields are offered. (CLB)

The study compares the retrieval effectiveness of two alternative input and search systems in terms of such measures as recall, fallout, precision, and total retrieval. One system uses manually indexed document files searched by controlled vocabulary, while the other employs fulltext input using natural language searching. Both systems are applied…

Identifies characteristics of the experienced online searcher and discusses the results of three searches carried out by a variety of searchers in widely differing subject fields--presence of arsenic in coal, problems of working alone in laboratory or work area, and spectral sensitivity of the insect eye. (8 references) (EJS)

Bibliographic records taken from books listed in "OCLC Selected Titles for Research and University Libraries" are used to determine whether the use of terms in the title for subject searching is an effective alternative to the use of Library of Congress subject headings among the 10 divisions of Dewey Decimal Classification. Terms in…

Describes a series of studies conducted to determine how ERIC online searchers were using free and controlled vocabulary in their search statements and to understand relevance implications of the resultant differences. (SW)

Presents the advantages and disadvantages of free text and controlled vocabulary retrieval techniques and a methodology to assist in deciding on the optimal technique for a particular purpose. The relevance of the techniques for expert systems and full text contexts is also discussed and recommendations for further research are made. (Author/EM)

Describes and compares the nine online databases that index the Washington Post. Points of comparison include materials that are excluded from the database, citations to excluded materials, citation formats, search vocabularies and strategies, full-text searching, cross-file searching, and search costs. (5 references) (CLB)