Showing papers in "Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology in 1983"

FASIT: A fully automatic syntactically based indexing system

Abstract: The aim of automatic Indexing Is to achieve a compact representation of a document suitable for retrieval. FASIT (Fully Automatic Syntactically based Indexing of Text) Identifies content bearing textual units without a full parse, and, without using semantic criteria, groups these units Into quaslsynonymous sets. Tested on a database of 250 documents and 22 queries, FASIT performed better than both thesaurus and stem based Indexing systems. Retrievals Indicate that the basic Idea of FASIT—that significant terms In the text can be Identified through syntactic patterns—Is valid and that FASIT deserves serious consideration as an advance over stem based systems.

The Use of Computer-Monitored Data in Information Science and Communication Research.

Abstract: As computer-based information retrieval and communication systems become more commonplace, researchers have a greater opportunity to evaluate the uses and impacts of new communication technologies The systems and the kinds of data now available are discussed along with advantages and disadvantages of using computer-monitored data

Information retrieval: A sequential learning process

Abstract: Dans une recherche bibliographique un des problemes importants est de savoir comment decider a partir de diverses donnees, (auteur, titre, periodique, citation etc...) laquelle constitue un indicateur valable de la pertinence du document, quels documents il faut retenir et dans quel ordre les presenter. Les approches intellectuelles les plus satisfaisantes ont ete en general basees sur les modeles de decision reposant sur la theorie des probabilites. Jusqu'a present cette methode a consiste a choisir un document a un moment donne et a etendre ensuite cette pratique a de nombreux autres documents en ignorant l'interaction entre les documents... Le but de cet article est de presenter des modeles de decisions theoriques qui incluent intrinsequement les cas de recherches multiples. En particulier cette recherche de l'information devrait etre envisagee comme un processus dans lequel le systeme de recherche repond a une demande en presentant le document dans un ensemble, tient compte du feed-back dans le deroulement de la recherche et utilise cette information pour modifier les recherches futures. Une strategie de recherche decoulant naturellement de ce modele est decrite. Deux exemples sont etudies en detail

Validity of citation criteria for assessing the influence of scientific publications: New evidence with peer assessment

Abstract: This article reviews the principal correlational studies employing citation counts as criterion measures for assessing the impact of scientific scholarship. The rationale and limitations of such measures and studies are discussed. New evidence on the validity of citation criteria is presented based on a sample of 870 cancer research papers, divided into three groups (“first-order” papers, abstracted in the Year Book of Cancer; “second-order” papers, listed but not abstracted in the yearbook; and “average-order” papers, a representative cross section of research papers unlisted in the yearbook). Results consistently show that highly rated papers are more highly cited over the ensuing five years after publication, or when controls are introduced for self-citations, for the influence of listing in the yearbook, and for language and country of authorship. The implications of results are discussed.

An experimental comparison of the effectiveness of computers and humans as search intermediaries.

Abstract: An experimental computer intermediary system, CONIT, that assists users in accessing and searching heterogeneous retrieval systems has been enhanced with various search aids. Controlled experiments have been conducted to compare the effectiveness of the enhanced CONIT intermediary with that of human expert interme diary search specialists. Some 16 end users, none of whom had previously operated either CONIT or any of the four connected retrieval systems, performed searches on 20 different topics using CONIT with no assistance other than that provided by CONIT itself (except to recover from computerlsoftware bugs). These same users also performed searches on the same topics with the help of human expert intermediaries who searched using the retrieval systems directly. Sometimes CONIT and sometimes the human expert were clearly superior in terms of such parameters as recall and search time. In general, however, users searching alone with CONIT achieved somewhat higher online recall at the expense of longer session times. We conclude that advanced experimental intermediary techniques are now capable of providing search assistance whose effectiveness at least approximates that of human intermediaries in some contexts. Also analyzed is the cost effectlveness of current intermediary systems. Finally, consideration is given to the prospects for much more advanced systems which would perform such functions as automatic database selection and the simulation of human experts, and thereby make information retrieval more effective for all classes of users.

Collection and characterization of spelling errors in scientific and scholarly text

Abstract: The SPEEDCOP (SPEIIing Error Detection correction Project) project recently completed at Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) extracted over 50,000 misspellings from approximately 25,000,000 words of text from seven scientific and scholarly databases. The misspellings were automatically classified and the error types analyzed. The results, which were consistent over the different databases, showed that the expected incidence of misspelling is 0.2%, that 90–95% of spelling errors have only a single mistake, that substitution is homogeneous while transposition is heterogeneous, that omission is the commonest type of misspelling, and that inadvertent doubling of a letter is the most important cause of insertion errors. The more frequently a letter occurs in the text, the more likely it is to be involved in a spelling error. Most misspellings collected by SPEEDCOP are of the type colloquially referred to as “typos” and approximately 90% are unlikely to be repeated in normal spans of text.

Factors affecting online bibliographic retrieval: A conceptual framework for research

Abstract: This article presents a conceptual framework for the organization of factors (independent variables) affecting online bibliographic retrieval; the variables were collected from major sources. The first part describes the various roles that variables play in a research study. The second part gives the conceptual framework for the factors with examples of individual variables for illustration. We consider the following elements of the total retrieval situation: the setting, the user, the request, the database, the search system, the searcher, the search process, and the search outcome. For each of these elements (excluding search outcome) a detailed list of variables is given in the Appendix. The variables are organized in a table according to themes that are applicable across elements.

Bibliometric indicators versus expert opinion in assessing research performance

Abstract: This study compares bibliometric indicators versus expert judgment as indicators of the research performance of major pharmaceutical companies, a context which may be uniquely capable of permitting such a comparison. For each company, a refined composite research output score was calculated based on that company's drug output (1965–1976). These research production scores, normalized by research budget as an indicator of research organizational size, produced an indicator of research productivity, an output/input ratio. The best and most consistent predictors of drug research success in general were the number of clinical articles, and in particular highly cited clinical articles—both their absolute value and their proportionate occurrence among publications. In general, there was a slight but consistent tendency for bibliometric indicators to perform better than expert judgments in predicting research performance as measured by a third and independent indicator of research output. This consistent trend was composed of three aspects. First, the subject-specific bibliometric indicators correlated more highly with the drug output performance measures than did general bibliometric measures or the expert judgments. Second, when the drug output measures were subjected to a regression analysis, the expert judgment variables were conspicuous by their absence, even in secondary or tertiary positions. Third, the expert judgment variables appeared to be very predictable from the bibliometric measures, while no such converse relationship existed.

An investigation of the validity of bibliographic citations

Abstract: Edward O. Wilson, in his famous work, Sociobiology, The New Synthesis [9], makes reference to a pair of articles by W. D. Hamilton, but misquotes the articles' title. No less than 148 later papers make reference to both Wilson's book and Hamilton's articles, by title. Thus, there is provided an opportunity to test the charge, made by some critics, that writers frequently lift their bibliographic references from other publications without consulting the original sources. Although 23% of these citing papers made the same error as did Wilson, a further perusal of the evidence raises considerable doubt as to whether fraudulent use was intended.

Exploiting the Maximum Entropy Principle to Increase Retrieval Effectiveness.

Abstract: Several of the drawbacks of conventional information retrieval systems can be overcome by a design approach in which queries consist of sets of terms, either unweighted or weighted with subjective term precision estimates, and retrieval outputs are ranked by probability of usefulness estimated in accordance with the so-called “maximum entropy principle.” A system organized along these lines combines the convenience of a simple input language with a powerful probabilistic inference mechanism capable of exploiting kinds of statistical clues not ordinarily used in systems of traditional design. The sensitivity of the maximum entropy principle to the frequencies and joint frequencies with which terms have been assigned to documents in the collection results in a system design of increased power and expressiveness without a concomitant increase in the complexity of the request language. It incorporates the more important search capabilities of both Boolean and conventional weighted-request languages and facilitates the use of unconventional search clues.

Some aspects of citation behavior: A pilot study in business administration

Abstract: This study addressed certain aspects of citation behavior: How many of the sources cited has the author really consulted? How many did the author consult specifically for the preparation of the citing paper? How many of the sources cited does the author consider essential to the development of his own theme? Nineteen members of the faculty from the Department of Business Administration, College of Commerce, University of Illinois, each of whom had published at least one periodical article in the preceding two years, were subjects of the study. Each was given a self-administered questionnaire, along with the bibliography from one of his articles, and each participated in a follow up interview. Ninety-six percent of the sources cited had been consulted by the authors, which indicates little evidence of secondhand citation. However, just 63% were consulted specifically in the preparation of the article; and only less than a third were judged essential raw material by those who cited them. If an item is of critical importance, it is likely to be owned by the author. Also, it is likely to have been consulted specifically in the preparation of the article, but criticality is no guarantee that it has been used heavily by the author.

Human communication needs and organizational productivity: The potential impact of office automation

Abstract: Much of what white collar workers do in offices is communication-related. White collar workers make up the majority of the labor force in the United States today and the majority of current labor costs. Because office automation represents more productive structured techniques for handling both written and oral communication, office automation therefore offers the potential to make organizations more productive by improving organizational communication. This article: (1) defines communication, (2) identifies the potential benefits to be realized from implementing office automation, and (3) offers caveats related to the implementation of office automation systems. Realization of the benefits of office automation depends upon the degree to which new modes of communication may be successfully substituted for traditional modes.

A cocitation map of the social indicators movement

Abstract: Author cocitations form the base of a general technique of bibliogrpahic retrieval and of mapping the strucutre of literatures. The technique was used here in a largescale retrieval of the Social Indicators (SI) literature and a computerized mapping, through multidimensional scaling and clustering, of key SI contributors as perceived by citers during 1972-1980. Clusters of points on the map are interpreted as authors similar in perceived subject matter and style of work; other interpretable features also eemerge. The map conforms well with independent reviews of the SI literature, actually illustrating some of the judgments they contain. It is suggested that such mappings may become a stimulus and complement to literature reviews in the future.

Characterization of the research papers of U.S. medical schools

Abstract: An investigation of the relationship between National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and the quantity and nature of biomedical publications is reported for 120 U.S. medical school complexes. A correlation of 0.95 was found between the amount of NIH funds received and the number of biomedical publications from the medical schools. Medical school ranks based on bibliometric measures were found to correlate at the 0.80-0.90 level with ranks based on peer assessments of the schools. The characteristics of the medical school papers varied with the type of school. The average citation influence per paper increased with the publication size of the schools. This was true even when factors such as public versus private control, geographic region, average research level (from basic to clinical), and subject emphasis were controlled. The positive relationship between number of papers from a school and its citation influence holds within individual research levels and within subfields.

The psychology of online searching

Abstract: Online searching is a dynamic process requiring an interactive and iterative dialogue to fully utilize its potential. However, such an interaction results in communication barriers at the human-computer interface due to demands and limits of human memory and human information processing. An algorithmic method of searching, using Boolean negation to eliminate redundancy and reduce the cognitive strain of this barrier is proposed. Experimental data testing the efficacy of the method are also presented. Furthermore, the correlation of differences in cognitive processes to the searcher's comprehension of the system and searching behavior are explored.

The effect of personal, professional, and psychological attributes, and information seeking behavior on the use of information sources by educators

Abstract: Current research on information retrieval suggests that greater attention be given to the study of information habits and needs of users of information. It has also been suggested that the user be viewed more broadly as existing within interacting cognitive, emotional, and social systems. In this study it was hypothesized that (1) 13 sources of information would cluster into several distinct types; (2) information source use by a random sample of educational practitioners in British Columbia, Canada (n = 1078) could be predicted by position, education level, experience, dissemination habits, attitude toward information, and sense of isolation from information; (3) educators would differ in their reaction to a list of 11 desirable characteristics of information; and (4) educators would differ in the extent to which they viewed 10 problems in finding and using information as influencing their work. Findings from a questionnaire analysis revealed that (1) position, dissemination, and attitude were strong predictors of information use, education was a moderate predictor, and experience and isolation accounted for low percentages of the variance; (2) information sources clustered into three orthogonal factors: close at hand traditional sources, less accessible print sources, and organized interpersonal sources; (3) all 11 characteristics of information were considered relatively important with attitude toward information strongly influencing responses; and (4) respondents did not generally feel that the 10 problems posed significant barriers in their use of information. The findings of the study offer support for the notion that information source use by educators is the result of a complex set of interactions among variables and examination of the interaction of personal, professional, and psychological attributes of users provides a useful beginning in understanding the dimensions influencing the use of information sources.

Publication indicators of relative research efforts in physics subfields.

Abstract: Indicators of research activity are suggested in order to evaluate the relative research efforts within the subfields of physics in a given country and in relation to the world average. The comparison of the internal activity indicators of various countries show that the self-regulating mechanism of scientific research tends to keep an even distribution of efforts in each of the physics subfields on a worldwide scale. Countries of high and medium economic and intellectual potential showing significant deviation in research efforts from the general group behavior were selected by an expectation methodology.

Electronics, the Cost Disease, and the Operation of Libraries.

Abstract: This article analyzes the prospects for costs of computerized operation of libraries relative to costs of more conventional operation. Conventional library operation is labor intensive and not readily amenable to cumulative increases in labor productivity. This helps to explain the rapid and cumulative rise in cost per volume and/or student served relative to the rise in the economy's price level during the earlier postwar period. Because the price of computer hardware has been falling at a spectacular rate, it has been expected that computerized operation of libraries would become increasingly inexpensive relative to conventional procedures. Yet the evidence indicates that such a differential has not materialized. It is shown why the costs of computerized operation should in fact not be expected to fall along with the price of computer hardware. The reason is that the very decline in computer hardware prices has increased the share of software and other labor-intensive activities in the total budget of computer operation. The implications of this relationship for library operations are analyzed.

Entropy and information: A multidisciplinary overview

Abstract: The concept of entropy, from the second law of thermodynamics, has been used by numerous writers on information theory. Basic relationships between entropy, order, information, and meaning have been observed by writers in disciplines as diverse as biology, economics, information science, the arts, and religion. This article, while not attempting comprehensive treatment, cites representative extensions of the concept, including its use as metaphor.

Usage patterns of an online search system.

Abstract: This article examines the usage patterns of the ELHILL retrieval program of the National Library of Medicine's MEDLARS system. Based on a sample of 6759 searches, the study analyzes the frequency of various commands and command options, classifies messages issued by the system, and investigates searcher error rates. The article concludes with suggestions for improving and redesigning both the program and query language.

The BLEND System: Programme for the Study of Some "Electronic Journals.".

Abstract: This article describes a three-year experimental programme organised jointly by the two Universities as the Birmingham and Loughborough Electronic Network Development (BLEND). The aims are to assess the cost, efficiency, and subjective impact of such a system, and to explore and evaluate alternative forms of user communication through an electronic journal and information network. Using a host computer at Birmingham University, a community of initially about 50 scientists (the Loughborough Information Network Community—LINC) will be connected through the public telephone network to explore various types of electronic journal. The concept of the electronic journal involves using a computer to aid the normal procedures whereby an article is written, refereed, accepted, and “published.” The subject of this experimental programme will be “Computer Human Factors.” Each member will contribute at least one research article and one shorter note in each year of the project, and will also use other forms of communication such as newsletter, annotated abstracts, workshop conferences, cooperative authorship, etc. Throughout the project relevant data will be gathered to enable the assessment of system and user performance, cost, usefulness, and acceptability.

The correlation between pertinence and rate of citation duplication in multidatabase searches

Abstract: The rate of citation duplication was examined in three databases: MEDLINE, BIOSIS, and LIFE SCIENCES COLLECTION. Duplicate citations were found to be more pertinent than unique citations. The duplicate citations came from a highly compact literature, while those from a single database were very widely scattered. The pertinent duplicated citations were more likely to be retrieved in searches that had more terms overall, had a higher percentage of thesaurus terms, and had terms which appeared in both title and abstract. These results suggest that the rate of duplication of citations in multidatabase searches may be used to rank output according to probable pertinence.

Mappings of Fields Based on Nominations.

Abstract: The network of colleagues is sampled in seven scientific specialties. Using researchers as points and a measure of similarity based on conominations, we are able to map the fields. The analysis assumes that the more frequently two researchers are nominated together, the more closely they are related. The resulting map places highly conominated researchers close together. We are able to identify subareas within the fields. A conomination analysis explicates the structure of the invisible colleges by sampling the network of colleagues. A comparison of conomination and cocitation analysis for information science indicates that the citatory behavior of authors corresponds to a high degree with the social structure of science.

Question Generation and Formulation: An Indication of Information Need.

Abstract: A methodology is developed and applied to a data collection consisting of questions in order to discern the nature of the cognitive need “to know”: the information need. The experimental design for the generation and formulation of questions was achieved by means of a “closed” problem situation. A “closed” problem situation has within it sufficient and available data with which to reach solution of said problem. The question is an observable behavioral act which reflects information need. Because it is a hypothetical construct, information need had to be operationalized indirectly via the question as the dependent variable and the data input as the independent variable. The varying of this independent variable was achieved by partitioning the “closed” problem. Two experimental hypotheses guided this methodology for a “closed” problem situation: H1 where the number of questions generated varies directly as the Information need varies, and H2 where the number of questions generated varies inversely as the data input varies. The results of the statistical analysis supported the indicated trend to decreasing questioning activity as the data input rose. The results of the linguistic analysis revealed a consistent question formulation pattern between the two “closed” problems. Thus it follows in theory that the nature of information need can be discerned indirectly through question generation and formulation.

A technique of two‐stage clustering applied to environmental and civil engineering and related methods of citation analysis

Abstract: A method of two-stage clustering of literature based on citation frequency is developed. This method enables one to cluster thousands of articles Into a simplified dendrogram by introducing a two-stage algorithm based on a citation space whose axes are cited articles. In the first step, preliminary clusters are generated which become initial clusters in the second step. Secondly, the initial clusters are connected into a dendrogram by means of an agglomerative technique. This method is applied to 5065 articles from 52 journals in environmental and civil engineering. The data are derived from the 1977 Science Citation Index [1]. Related methods of citation analysis such as hierarchical graph, clustering of journals, and multidimensional scaling are also applied to the same set of articles. These results are compared and structures of the literature in environmental and civil engineering are discussed.

Information resources and organizational structure

Abstract: Current approaches to understanding organizational structure are reviewed as background for the assertion that structure is a major determinant in the kinds of information resources collected and In the ways they are used. Information resource uses in relation to functions of the organization and form of the Information carriers are described, as are the differences In treatment of externally generated versus internal information. In the complex and changing environments organizations face today, it is suggested that greater attention be focused on information flow within organizations and in the use and reuse of information resources. The article concludes with some critical political and social factors to be considered in reorganizing information flows.

Statistical disorder and the analysis of a communication‐graph

Abstract: The lines of a co-author graph represent channels of communication through which information has been and may continue to be informally exchanged. The Brillouin Information Measure can be used to describe important properties of the co-author graph and other communication-graphs. The “connectedness” of a graph can be represented on a scale in which one limiting value signifies a connected graph and the other limiting value signifies a graph in which all points are isolated. Important points can be distinguished from all other points in a communication-graph. These important points are defined mathematically and are called synthetic cutpoints. A measure of importance can be assigned to each point in a communication-graph. This measure can be used to order points in terms of their contribution to a favorable communication-structure.

Response Time Variations in an Online Search System

Abstract: The response time characteristics of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) ELHILL bibliographic search system are examined in this article. Transactions for a five-week period are analyzed and average response times are calculated for typical search commands, by time of day, and by file being searched. Overall, the response time of the system was found to be 2.1 seconds, a very low value. Based on statistical tests of significance applied to the data, it was concluded that response time differences can be explained in terms of the number of users on the system and not the command issued by the user nor the file the user searched.

Developing academic library decision support systems

Abstract: This article describes an approach to designing decision support systems (DSSs) for academic library management. A DSS should be tailored to the unique task environment and individual preferences of a particular manager. Such a system extends the decision-making capabilities of a manager by supplementing judgment and experience with computer technology. The development of a DSS for academic libraries, which enables a manager to retrieve profiles of user productivity, resource utilization, and resource availability is explored. A database schema is presented which relates various database components for management reporting. Finally, consideration is given to implementing the user productivity, resource utilization, and resource availability subsystems in progressive stages.

Human Memory Organization for Computer Programs.

Abstract: Human memory organization has been shown to be important in the processing of natural language. Evidence is provided in this investigation which suggests that human memory organization is also important in processing programming languages. Subjects were divided into experimental groups which studied programs with or without documentation, and with or without hierarchically indented statements. Subjects studied and recalled five Fortran programs. The pattern of recalled statements at logic segment boundaries was compared to the recalled pattern within segments. In addition, the recalled boundary patterns of the experimental groups were compared to each other. The results indicate that algorithmic logic segments form a cognitive organizational structure in human memory for computer programs. Statement indentation and internal program documentation did not apparently enhance the organizational process or the recall of programming statements.