Examines, in two studies, the cognitive processes involved in locating specific information in a document, such as a table or directory. Concludes that efficient search is a matter of selective inspection to retrieve information relevant to specific goals. (SR)

Argues that business-communication instructors can aid students in their research by introducing them to the terminology and functions of an efficient Web-search process. Discusses the operation of four search tools: Web directories, search engines, indexes, and spiders or robots. Discusses Boolean logic, and other ways to improve the productivity…

Alternative procedures were investigated for determining the copyright status of brittle monographs to be scanned as part of the national preservation plan for agricultural sciences literature. Copyright searches conducted at Cornell University's printed Catalog of Copyright Entries (averaging seven minutes per title) were 97% in agreement with…

Describes a study conducted at Rutgers University that examined the problem of the judgment of information quality and cognitive authority by observing users' searching behavior in the Web, and the effects of those judgments on selection behaviors. Discusses implications for Web design and suggests future research. (Author/LRW)

Describes a chemistry course titled "Writing for Chemists", a junior-level course required of all chemistry and biochemistry majors at California State University (CSU) that covers all of the sections for writing both primary and secondary papers in the chemical sciences as well as the process of literature searching in both computer databases and…

A study examined what happened when a group of adult students read a hypertext for the goal of answering specific questions. Subjects, 30 students enrolled in an upper-division psychology course at a state university in the northwestern United States, read a binary tree-structured hypertext to answer three two-part questions on the topic of…

Two computerized searching techniques each prove to be about 80 percent accurate, thus offering better assistance to reporters searching for background information in newspaper morgues than are currently available. (RB)

This handbook is designed as an introduction to the process of library research in the field of education. To illustrate the process, a sample topic is developed from a broad concept through a well-developed topic for a research paper. Following an overview of a successful research strategy, the chapters are organized in the order of a typical…

Ways in which the National Library of Medicine's online data file of audiovisual instructional materials (AVLINE) can be searched are described. The search approaches were developed with the assistance of data analysts at NLM trained in reference services. AVLINE design, search strategies, and acquisition of the materials are reported. (LBH)

Through an alumni-led effort called Project Search, Haverford College found 72 percent of its 825 missing graduates. The project has paid off in more than renewed alumni ties, with a 20-fold return in the first 3 years of combined annual and capital fund raising. (MLW)

Traces development of the Higher Education Learning Programmes Information Service database, which locates and describes audiovisual materials for use in higher education. The database's potential, features, and search strategies, and other databases of interest to educators are discussed, stressing the importance of user feedback in determining…

Discusses the problems caused for both users and systems by queries containing negation, and presents an algorithm for transforming Boolean queries with negated terms into queries without negation using a hierarchical thesaurus. A set of user requests submitted to an academic library are also examined to determine the pattern and frequency of use…

Describes the "Rutgers Inventory of Machine-Readable Texts in the Humanities" that provides bibliographic information through RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) for electronic texts in the humanities. Highlights include adaptation of MARC format; access points; search strategies; and unresolved issues in the bibliographic…

The role of a subject's conceptual knowledge in the procedural task of searching a text for information was studied for 51 college undergraduates in 2 experiments involving knowledge of anatomy. Students with more anatomical information were able to search a text more quickly. Educational implications are discussed. (SLD)

Describes a search strategy method for bibliographic instruction in academic libraries that includes the major types of bibliographic tools and the prescribed sequence in which to use them. The strategy begins with dictionaries and encyclopedias, progresses through bibliographies and subject guides, and ends with periodicals and books. (five…