A comparison of dictionary use within two information retrieval systems

Abstract

Persons performing research in the field of information retrieval need to be concerned with likenesses as well as differences in various automated systems. This paper uses the same computer routines to compare two dictionaries of different sizes, having some similar features and some different features. It compares the use of the dictionaries in building their input file, and discusses the frequency of occurrence of descriptors and their combining power, with an analysis of the data generated.

Methods of organizing information for storage and searching

“…The third subdivision of the third approach to subject analysis and categorization, in which computers are used to make searches more compatible with indexing and vice versa, can be illustrated first by Mary Elizabeth Stevens' "I&" or "Selective Recall" system (35), in which a program is evolved to permit multiple levels of generic, specific, and associative access to items in an index store, thus leading the searcher toward his target regardless of how ineptly he asks his question, and second by the work of Schultz and colleagues (33,34) in the analysis of index terms in a given system to determine the frequency with which they are searched, singly and in combination with other terms.…”

Classificatory, alphabetical, and associative schedules as aids in coordinate indexing

“…I n this context, conceptual relations established in the formulation of search questions may include some associations which are not contained in the thesaurus or the indexer memory; also, they may bring out relationships used very heavily at the searching end. The results of term analyses to determine the frequency with which they are searched singly and in association with other terms (8) is an example of data which can be of significance and influence to indexer's work and performance.…”