Documprr RESUME . - ant ED 212 296;.- 010.051 AUTHOR: Markey, Karen; Cochrane, Pauline A. TITLE Online Training and Practice Manual,for ERIC Data Base Searchers; 2nd Edition. INSTITUTION ERICClearinghoilse on Information Resources, 'Syracuse, N.Y. . . SPONS AGENCY-a Nati nal Inst. of Education (0), Washington,:D.C. -PUB DATE Oct 1 - CONT4ACT 400- 7-0015 4 1 . -NOTE. 181p.; For related document, see ED 160 109. AVAILABLE FROM InfoeMation Resource's Publications,. 130 Hun 'Idgton Nall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13 0 ($8.50). , .1 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Pottage. DESCRIPTORS *Databases; Independent Study; *Information Retrieval; Library Education; Models; *Online Systems; *Relevance (Information Retrieval); *Search Strategiesv-StulAy Guides IDENTIFIERS DIALOG; *ERIC '=-* ABSTRACT Revised to reflect changes in both DIALOG and ERIC, this. second edition of a self-improvement manualfor online searchers who wish to refine their skills presents three baiic approaches to searching and provides illustrations from DIALOG's ERIC ONTAP database. The :manual is divided into two parts: an8-step model of the total.seakch process which emphasizes the effects of the searcher's decisions on retrieval results and search objectives, and an introduction to DIALOG's ERIC ONTAP file followed by 16' telf-improvement exercises be:RW.4)n search topics stored in the database; six of these exercises are on different topics from the . original edition. The ONTAP file is a subset of the ERIC file consisting of RIZ and CIA citations for 1975, and 29 simple, moderate, and difficult search questions_ with answer. sets. The database'hes been updated for use with the 1980 editien.of.the - Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors. The appendices include 10 "search" save" formulations of common search facets and a comprehensive guide' zRrc to the databak!: (BEM) **********************A*********************************************** * ReprOductionlisupplied by *DRS * are the best that can be made * from the original document. * . 4********************************************************************** air Wades. NomialAk INSTITUT; Of EDUCATION WUCATIONAL msouitccs Itiy01041A110N ""t Ce011t - doeunwne has bon ronx1,mid N waived from II* perm a?onksdon- arigiiwinga . t Minor chow' have been mod. to /wove 17. ropeoduabn pilau el view!, epakets saw' In iiii`docu- ...we. riot nocessa.)/ ilipannaffacisi posiim affable,: -,A1111010-07#- 0 . . ONLINE TRAINUMW AND PRACTICE' MANUAL FOR DATA BABE" SEARCHERS KAREN MARKEY Ii143 PifiLILINE A. COCHRANE BASED ON THE 'EARLIER UNPUBLISHED WORK OF CHARLES P. BOURNE, BARBARA ANDERSON, AND JO ROBINSON , 2nd edition ERIC CLEARINGHOUSE ON INFORMATION RESOURCES SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ,OCTOBER 1981 , . . at is a Research Raren Markey Scipntist OCLC, Ind., Dublin, Ohio. . School Pauline A. COchrine is a Professor in the -of Information Studies, -Syracuse Syraculit -New Yock University , 4e This publication was prepared with fUnding from the National Institute of Education, U.S. Departm'ent of Education, under con- tract no NIE-40047-0013. The opinions expreised in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of Nit. or ED. v . r ( PREFACE -- 4 - 144 THE PtOCESS OF ONLINE SEARCHING -(SECTION- I: Introduction to the Steps'andlunctioniiof. Online Searching 3 Defining the Information Need and Step. I. arch Objectives 6" Identifying Relevant Data Bases . : . ._ _ _ . Step 3. Formulating Basic.Search LogicPlanning. Ea Search Strategies. 10 Step 4: Compiling the Search Terme 22 \Step-5. Ordering Output.' 24 . Step 6. Conceptualizing the Search as Inp to the Retrieval System . _ .. 0000 -. 26 . .. .., % . ..1-"i . 000 oo Evaluating Preliminary .Results Stet) 7. 36 . .. Step 8. Evaluating Final Results 37 SECTION II ERIC ONTAP EXERCISES FOR SELP-IMPROVEMENT 'OF ONLINE. SEARCHING 39 IntrOduotion to DIALOG's ERIC ONTAP 9 Sample Search Topic. Parapsychology 4' Search Topic 1.' Title IX and Women's Sports 50 TopiC 2. Search 4 -H Clubs 511 topic 3. 'SeerCh 16 Personality Factor Test Search Topic 4. Primary SChool Reading Prt.4rams 63 , . Search Topic 5% School Busing 71'. Search Topic.6. tenguage,Textbooks 75" Search Topic 7. .A.ACit Revision 78 ... o ft Search Topic 8. Drug Abuse . 81, O 85 - Search Topic ilOcational laucation' 9. _ Siarch Topic P. Piaget . . . . . ,,,' -Charginiforjibrary Services 94 -Search Topic; .l1. ... i ',,, White 97 light to theiSuburbs Search topic_12., - Search Topid 13.. Federal'Aid-to Day Care- Centers 99 102- Education'iii .Sri..Lankt 14. 6 _Search Topic_15. Aids for Library.Orientation 105 . . 1p9 Search"Topic '16. Management Training , _ , ......... OOOOOOOO t 4 Col ion' Search Facets/Search Save 113 O .Formulations SeirchFacit Primaiy BducatiOn ,116 1. , .6 2. 'Eleleniery-EAucation Search_, 117 4 .Search Facet Secondary Education 3. , . Search,Facet Childien 4. 121 .. k 3. Search Facet .. American . 123 , _ 'Search Audiovisual Aids 6. -Facet' =124, Facet '_Seardb 7. Evaluatiotv (High Recall) 129 . . . . Search Facet 8. Evaluation (High Predision) 132 Search Facet 9. Mentally. Neurological-4, and Emotionilly , Handicapped... 135' 11)0, Search Facet'IO. Preschool 130 , 4 Guide to DIALObis ERIC Data Base ' OO OOO '141 . , ' 4, INDEX. .. ..... . ........ . . . .... . I :. 175. . ; -4.4.4.444-: . As mor4( and :sore online searchers gain experience, there Appears to be e need for online and -offline aids, to -support searchers through the . stage` Wtraininvand practice. "imiprover" Fei-exaniples serving thit-pur, .; 0- , e ' 0 posecan'be-_ICund in the literature, but we learned-of-A project *,in this area in, early. 1977. At the_ suggestion of, and with the encouragement.and .. , Information . suO0Ort_of-Oscar7FiiiChein at Lockheed Systems, Charles Bourne ---1-7-ind-Aie--dolleagues-,at- the Institute ler Library Research :MO-at the Uni= _VerSiti of California', Berkeley, were developing a special ERIC /DIALOG file :practice. 'or: online training-end This :file wap being specially designed . "to allow online searchers to compare their search results- with" theresdlts of,a'!'perfect search.", The Berkilei_group developed, "answer sets" for some 20 search.requetta by exhiusiively searching a the of ERIC 1975 citations for'relevant:bits. ,The, coipasite results of all their search strategies for each2question,became the "perfect answer set." For -each learch"topic, . .thq, offered:Ikeveral representative formulations to meet different search objectives (e.g.:;'high-recallt high precision, Or low cost). : ,;, _ ,Oscar- Firschein arranged to have 1975 ERIC.accessio and the 29 . ,..,- answer sets ioaded_on the DIALOG Seirch"queitioni-s'Xith-: their ystem.- He . . developed" and iipletented.the /EVAL cdmmend.on-the DI . This, s_ ystem. . automatically cOmputei e-,riCall;'-and-recisiOn score for. y/ searcher's .effort :effort con.- fhe oNTAPTK questions by Compering the searcher's results with: _ -the;"perfect.i..answer.set. ft A draft report was prepared by, the ILR group to .document their work, but i'i -could not be published before In late 1977-'4t they-, left ILR. ERIC/IR,' we decided: to work from their draft, with their permission, and develop,an."iiproVer's" manuelifccr. searching the ONTAP database online. purpose .of The publication is to: pain beginning this neither . searchers lmor to o-provide an orientation .to computer-based searching of ERIC. Other publication4 already perform these functions quite admirably.' . , , 10 . / 1 - .. Atherton, Pauline and others. Online Searching.of ERIC. SyrecusereNY: on .ERIC/Clearinghouse Information Resources, ED 1979. 431 180 (235p.),.ED 180 432.(41p.) Bourne, Charles, P. and!othets. Ameliiis. of ERIC., On -line File 'Searching. Procedures and Guidelines for Searching. Final Report. Berkeley, CA: ,University of California, Institute of Library Research, and Palo 0446, -CM' LockheeclResearch..,Liboratories, Nov.' 1974. ED 101 757 (156p.). -. , - d, - Bourne"Charles P. DIALOG Lab Palo Alto, CA: .3rd Edition. tiorkbook. Lockheed'Research Laboratories, 1981. 1 "v. ; 'f ,- . ; , = 1- It .- le; 1 , . , ., ..,, , , , . . - . c - _ . - . .. ' - . -"--,-,-Our objective has,be0m-to develop the Bourne,' RoSmson and Anderson !------ . ., =- -drife-rePoit into **manual that the experienced seircher_mut-ose-fOr *ell ; -improvement. In the first Sectiont aieidel-of-the total search process is discussed information decisions in Oider_tw.-empfiasiti--how the of the jptOfessional-:Iffiat retrieval fehulta and search objectives at `each step of the process. The second section begins with 'an introduction to DIALOG's . ....--- improvement which followed,: by Nielf exercises. is ONTAFC- file '''(201)-t exercise it selected -from the questions-stored the ONTAF-file. The :first ,,-, ...; _pfevides an in-depth explanation of the ONTiO'lile aa'-directions-fro*-the- ,-,..ONTAFIiie,-the EVAL,4Palikility, and_selet4mg_self4iprovement exercises -tro-diii0ased in detail. Within a self-learninkenvitopment, the searcher - -,.. .... ,'-is-eicouraged to analyze 'and tomparehis/fier,search objectives .and output With that of s other searchers. is s/he proceeds with.the exercises. 4 ! -- ,_;.._____.:-;,,- :t We have_heen _heartened-by-the -reception of,the'first edition of this -, manual since its 1978 publifition. Since then the Isdentifier Clean-Up, the FecabularyImprovement2Project, the pubficctionof.the 8th -edition of the Thesaurds of ERIC Descriptors, and the,updatihgland reloading online of the on ERIC,database,:Arave-.*ecescitatid-the revision. of-ERIC ONTAP (File 201, DIALOG) and this manual': --- : - - .- - 4,- As an aid to-all:ERIC online searchers, we have included in the'appen- ----- dix several search saves,' for population level and 'tool concepts when these are not easily,:handled° by the -DIALOG SuperSELECT- features because of vocabulary, problems. :These ban be .itccissed and exchanged between DIALOG' ,workCpices 'brains the -pkocedures "exptained in the introduction to the .. : cippeildix." _ --. . . . . Comments 'about-this mapual-are-welcome and should be-ad4ressed to: , . . . , ''- Pauline A. Cochrane , .: ERIC/IR' . - , ' , .. :Syracuse University- ,_ ' .. .. , Syracuse, New York 13210. ..- 4 4 Clay, Katherine, Timer They Are ERIC The DIALOG: on 1'Searching Database-2,3(Sept. 1979):46 -67. A'Changin'.." George, Paulette Foss.: ."To Search or Not to Search." Interchange (Aug. 1981):14-15. 2, . . t ' . '. , Ilif Meidow, Charles ochrane 11Paaline A.. Basics of Online. Searchine: and T4 Witeyt 198. New York: i . . , . A Yarborough, Judith, How to Prepare for a' Computer Search .of ERIC: Non-TechniCal on Clearinghouse Approach. ERIC Stanford,. CA: Information Resources, Sept. 1975. ED 110 096 (44p.) Yarborough, Judith, "A Novice's'taide to ERIC - -The Data Base of Educe tion." Online 1,3(July; 1977):24-29. 2 7- SE0001.4 I OF ONLINE SEARCHING -THE.PROCESS 1INTRODUCTICIIN-713 THET STEPS AND . ONLINIt SEARCHING ,Online <searching has been divided into eight' steps,' each requiring off-line activities in preparation the online for activity. As the searcher progresses from one step to the next, s/he is faced, with decisions which' affect the'succeeding steps. ,The following outline is accompanied by an abstract of the functions peKformed during each step, in the process of online searching., 'The'eight'steps are 4qaced in detail in the sections following the outline: ". DEFINING THE INFORMATIONNEED /01D SEARCH OBJECTIVE IntervieWing the information seeker clarifies the request and determilies search objectives: , 440 a) retrieve all relevant it ms (high recall), or b) 'retriev 4ems (high preciszon), or c) retrieve some relevant itelbs (Brief search). 4 - IDENTIFYING RELEVANT DATA BASES ' . Determining which online database to use first; whichl9 etc. lext I.. . m764 a s 4 FORMULATING BASWSEARCH LOGIC . PLANNING SEARCH STRATEGIES Analyzing the search topic into facets or concept groups. paanning.appioaches to search strategy for combining concepts of the topic. COMPILING THE SEARCH TERMS Choosing descriptors from the ERIC Thesaurus or Selecting terms other printed word lists. 4n identifier fieId'and free text for searching sulijecElconveying fields (title, Using thesaurus and abstract, etc.). alphabetic word lists. online. ORDERING OUTPUT online).' Limiting and printing output (offLine and Selecting an approach to search strategy which best satisfies the search objectives expressed by the requestor. 114 I 9 4 J . r v. SEARCH AS INPUT ' EVAL-SYSTEM he search terms into.contepts or . es nog most impOitint'and less ? mportent concept grodps, vestricting or ' limitingOutput. S. EVALUATING PRELIMINARY RESULTS ' Nt I teviewing search results, step by step, and considering-alterpate search strategies to meet search objectifies (recycling steps 1 -6). a FINAL SVALUAt I NG; - RESULTS Determining tient satafAction with search results.-- Jr. 5. A 161