Abstract
This is the first, mainly quantitative part of a study of the indexing process. The second part will be a qualitative analysis of the same material. The central question in both studies is whether different approaches to indexing yield different results. Two groups of indexers indexed the same text and described the process. The indexers in the first group used four different approaches each, the second group one approach each. The subjects and the indexing terms were compared and consistency measures applied. The analysis showed generally higher consistency on subject level than on subject term level. Use of a thesaurus in the second study improved the consistency slightly compared to free terms, but was difficult for the relatively inexperienced indexers to use. Studies with more simple kinds of vocabularies would probably increase the consistency. The study also showed that the results of the indexing differed depending on what approach the indexers used. The differences concerned the aspects of the text that the indexers found as well as the indexing terms they assigned.
| Translated title of the contribution | The Indexing Process: Four approaches to subject indexing compared by means of consistency measures |
|---|---|
| Original language | Danish |
| Journal | Dansk Biblioteksforskning |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 57-71 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISSN | 1604-7869 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Keywords
- Indexing
- Indexing consistency
- Indexing methods
- Empiric study
- Indexing languages