Compares three Web-based online reference services that are described as a cross between a traditional database service and a Web search engine: Ask Jeeves (http://www.ask.com), The Electric Library (http://www.elibrary.com), and Information Please (http://www.infoplease.com). Concludes that each has strengths and weaknesses and aren't directly…

If you build it, will they come? This is one of the fundamental questions anybody creating a Web site has to confront, whether you're a business person, a Web professional or a home user. One of the fundamental ways to ensure people do come, and return, is to make the content of your site as appealing and as accessible as possible. A new study by…

Compares the differences in coverage and utility of three substructure databases--Chemical Abstracts, Index Chemicus, and Chemical Information System's Nomenclature Search System. The differences between Chemical Abstracts with two different vendors--STN International and Questel--are described and a summary guide for choosing between databases is…

Evaluates these two bibliographic databases for geosciences information in terms of their content coverage, search methodologies, user effort, and analysis of results. (SW)

Data collected from analysis of the University of South Dakota's uninhibited database selection and use policy are evaluated as an aid in developing a cost-efficient database searching strategy. Statistics are presented which clarify the effectiveness of single and multiple database use. (SW)

Describes several problems encountered when using the Boolean model of information retrieval, and for each problem offers a nontraditional design principle that overcomes the difficulty. The problems discussed are the unfriendliness of Boolean formulas, null output and output overload, undifferentiated facets, interpreting weights, and term…

Discusses the distinctive differences between the English and Chinese languages from the system designer's point of view and explores the potential problems for Chinese information retrieval systems, focusing on character entry and retrieval. The advantages and disadvantages of current approaches are discussed, and a regular expression search…

This paper considers the problems that were encountered in searching and using the literature (about practice) to answer questions about future directions for policy in teaching learners with special educational needs (SEN). It draws upon a recently completed scoping study on the effectiveness of different approaches and strategies used to teach…

This study evaluated online searching performed on the National Library of Medicine system to identify implications for training and continuing education. Searchers were selected with formal and informal training, from three different types of organization, and with differing levels of experience. It was found that most searchers have clearly…

This paper reports on a transaction log analysis of 51,473 queries from 18,113 users of Excite, a major World Wide Web search engine. Approximately 2,500 of these queries were from the use of relevance feedback. Given the high level of research activity and historical success of relevance feedback in assisting users in locating relevant…

Provides an overview of a training program for online searching used by the University of California's Computerized Information Services (CIS), focusing on database training through workshops and seminars. (FM)

Discusses problems in creating the information retrieval mechanisms used in constructivist computer-based learning environments to support knowledge discovery: (1) subject can not always be pre-specified and the learner may not know what to seek; (2) retrieval strategies differ considerably from conventional ones, with the search including data,…

Describes two options that can address the issues of catalog production in a bilingual environment: a two-file option, which is the equivalent of a separate catalog for each language, and a totally bilingual catalog. The technical characteristics of each option, and the appropriateness of each for different user communities, are discussed. (eight…

Reviews recent research into the use of hierarchic agglomerative clustering methods for document retrieval. The topics discussed include the calculation of interdocument similarities, algorithms used to implement clustering methods on large databases, validity testing of document hierarchies, appropriate search strategies, and other applications…

Reviews "robot" search engines specifically developed for information retrieval on the World Wide Web, examines automated and designated robot searching tools, and offers tips to help users judge the usefulness of Web search engines. Discusses sample searches of automated and designated search engines and presents example computer…