A comparison of ERIC and LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) indexing of the three journals--Online, Online Review, and Database--revealed some differences but more similarities in number of terms per article and concepts per article. A vocabulary which distinguished the field of online searching did emerge. (Author/EM)

Explains seven types of subject descriptions commonly used in databases--hierarchical classification, category codes, subject headings, descriptors, faceted classification, post-controlled vocabulary, and natural language--and describes specific search techniques for taking advantage of the strengths of particular types of vocabularies. An overall…

Presents a methodology for extending string indexing from index display production to the provision of descriptor phrases for term proximity searching. Objectives of the extension are discussed, and an illustration of the use of an existing string indexing system for this purpose is given. (14 references) (CLB)

This review of the 1986 literature on subject access covers: (1) general works; (2) organization and history; (3) classification systems; (4) classification theory and method; (5) Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH); (6) authority control through LCSH; (7) subject searching through LC-based, assigned subject headings; and (8) other subject…

Investigates methods of compressing headings identified by MARC subfield codes to reduce the size of browsable displays. An argument is made for sorting subdivisions by a conceptual, rather than an alphabetical, approach to present efficient browsable displays and relieve the user of the burden of data organization. (14 references) (Author/CLB)

Describes the organization of the descriptors used in the ERIC database to indicate age, educational, and student levels, and suggests appropriate search strategies for the retrieval of information on specific age groups. (CLB)

Describes a study that collected statistics on the occurrence of terms used in searching an online catalog and investigated the correlation of the selection of terms with their occurrence in indexing. The discussion of the results includes implications for indexing theories. (19 references) (CLB)

Describes a method for measuring research information from thematic references such as headings and subheadings that are used in indexing, cataloging, and online searching, using the Rasch model as the measuring instrument. Discusses results of a search of anesthesiology in the Medline database that was used as a case study. (Author/LRW)

Presents a statistical learning approach to assigning controlled index terms that consists of the learning process and the indexing process. A learning feedback technique is also introduced. Experimental results show that the statistical learning approach and the learning feedback technique are practical means to automatic indexing of controlled…

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 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)

Reports on a study of index term selection techniques in a small experimental keyword information retrieval system. Two experiments are described which show that user success is improved by increasing the number of terms per object used. Implications for larger databases are considered. (22 references) (EAM)

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)

Reports on two experiments investigating the relationship between topical subject expertise and the assessment of relevance. Results indicate that topical subject expertise enhances effects of the semantic distance model (SDM), and that relevance assessment is a contingent, psychological phenomenon that is part of the human-perception task of…

Discusses topics related to use of search trees to enhance subject searching in online catalogs: subject searching in existing systems; search trees defined; highlights of a study of subject queries; normalized subject headings; the exact approach to subject searching; one-word queries; multiword queries; queries failing to produce retrievals; and…