Describing Documents Ch3 in textbook Organizing Knowledge: An Introduction to Managing Access to Information.

Outline Describing documents Characteristics and problem of document representation Records Citations Personal bibliographic file management software features Abstract Other kinds of document summaries Automatic indexing and text summarization Bibliographic record formats Bibliographic description

Describing documents In many information retrieval situations, we are unable to work with documents themselves, but have to rely on representations , or document ‘surrogates’. Example of surrogates Library catalogues , abstracts , Keyword and URL .

Characteristics and problem of document representation Defining the document Selection Location and accessibility Search keys Granularity Identification

Characteristics and problem of document representation Defining the document Identification: any representation of document or resource must be sufficient for it to be identified uniquely, by both computer software and people. Granularity: some consideration influencing the granularity of description include the following: Is the more detailed description available within the document? Are there other sources that perform the same task? Will the use justify the extra cost? Will the extra detail merely lead to added complexity and near duplication?

Characteristics and problem of document representation (cont) 4. Selection: the description must always uniquely identify the document it represents 5. Search keys: document representations for manually searched databases need search keys 6. Location and accessibility: a document representation loses much of its purpose if users are not given enough information to enable them to locate the document itself.

Records Records are composed of a number of fields A database is a collection of similar records Types of records: Fixed length : contains the same number of characters in each computer Variable length: consists of different lengths in different records

Citations Citations: are the author’s way of making links between his / her contribution and that of other authors. Data for citations should be obtained from the following sources: The title page , or subtitle Any other source which is part of the item Any other source which accompanies the item and was issued by the publisher

Citations

The citation elements Primary responsibility (author, editor, etc..) Year ( the position of this element varies according to the display style chosen) Title ( of a book, or in the case of a journal article, of the article) Type of medium Publication details( place, publisher for books, journal title for journal articles) Series Numeration within the item

Citation for in non-print media Non print media need to include the following The medium (ex: video, CD, etc) How accessed Duration of films, videos Frequency of update

Citation for electronic document These include electronic monographs, databases and computer programs, electronic serials, electronic bulletin boards, web documents and email. References are cited in the text in the usual way. If using the Harvard style, the list of references then follows the general form: Author(year, date). Title (version)[medium]. Location. Place of publication: Publisher.

Personal bibliographic file management software features This packages are primarily intended for information users rather than information professionals so it is easy to use Predefined fields Ability to import citations from external sources Adding extra fields for personal use

Personal bibliographic file management software features Field or term search capability Detecting duplicates Editing globally Predefined output formats for generating bibliographies in a variety of journal formats

Abstract Abstracts are included and used in the primary literature, such as journals, reports and conference papers, and in abstracting and indexing services and other tools designed to help users to navigate knowledge base.

Purposes of abstracts Support current awareness of new documents Save reading time and support browsing Aid in document selection Aid in literature searching by mapping scope and key themes Improve indexing efficiency and effectiveness Aid in the preparation of literature reviews and bibliographies on specific topics

Abstract skills and processes A good standard of literacy, particularly the ability to write clearly and concisely Detailed knowledge of the subject field of the material being abstracted And awareness of the kinds of people who will be using the abstracts and of the environment of information access generally An ability to work methodically and accurately

Other kinds of document summaries An annotation: it is brief comment or explanation about a document. An extract : it is comprises one or more portions of a document selected to represent the whole( shorter than abstract) . A summary: it is a brief restatement of a document’s salient findings and conclusions.

Automatic indexing and text summarization Abstracting by professional abstractors is expensive and time consuming. There have been a active research seeks to find ways in which abstract can be computer-generated, this related to the work on language processing and indexing . More recent work on text summarization uses a variety of approaches to summarize texts, based on phrases, sentences or paraphrases which are selected on the basis of linguistic and/or statistical criteria.

Bibliographic record formats All record in one file have s standard format. In order to facilitate exchange of records between different computer systems, there have been attempts to develop some standard record formats. The exchange of machine-readable records has necessitated the standardization of bibliographic record formats There is an International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD)

Bibliographic record formats All ISBD follow the general framework What information should be given in the description, including the extent of detail required. The order in which the information should be given . The punctuation(1-2-3) needed to divide and distinguish between the elements of the description.

Bibliographic description The description of a document as part of a catalogue entry acts as a document surrogate. The traditional functions of description are to: Describe each document as a document Distinguish it from other items Show relationships with other items

Bibliographic description In preparing the description of a document it is necessary to make certain preliminary decisions if different cataloguers are to produce identical records from the same document. These considerations include: The source of the information for the description. A ‘chief source of information’ is designed to ensure consistency among different cataloguers

Bibliographic description 2- Organization of the description: the description is organized into eight areas . The areas are: Title and statement of responsibility Edition Material-specific (or publication type-specific) details Publication, distribution Physical description Series Note Standard number and terms of availability 3-Punctuation , it is important for the international exchange of the record 4- levels of detail in the description.

Description and specific document types General issues There are common issues that apply to many document types: Many media cannot be browsed like a book. Granularity can be difficult to establish, and a fine judgment is needed in deciding the level at which to describe a composite item.

Description and specific document types (cont) Responsibility for the creation , production and distribution of some documents can be complex and diffuse. There is far less standardization of presentation than with monographic materials. There is no standard numbering system, and consequently less likelihood of finding a centrally produced record.

Descriptions can be complex, with much necessary information that may not fit easily into the formal areas of description For some sources, notably networked electronic resources, the notion of publication is elusive.

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