Describes a task-oriented assessment of two MEDLINE searching systems by medical students, one using Boolean searching on human-indexed thesaurus terms and one using natural language searching on words in the title, abstract, and indexing terms. Highlights include user certainty in answering questions, time needed, and user satisfaction.…

Discusses information retrieval and the future of databases in education, examines problem-solving strategies, and describes a study of undergraduate students that compared the use of a traditional textbook with the use of the electronic version on CD-ROM. Performance on tests and strategies used to answer questions are analyzed. (20 references)…

Discusses the incorporation of CD-ROM technology into Georgia State University's William Russell Pullen Library, and considers its impact on reference services and bibliographic instruction. Concludes that technology increases the need for critical thinking skills, faculty-librarian interaction, and human resources for reference and technical…

Discusses a decline in patron requests for librarian-mediated searches of MEDLINE at Yale University's medical library and describes results of a survey that was conducted to determine possible reasons. The influences of miniMEDLINE (an in-house version), online end-user systems, and CD-ROMs outside the library are examined. (five references) (LRW)

Describes a study that compared two information retrieval systems on a full-text medical database: one featured concept-based automatic indexing and statistical retrieval techniques, and the second used traditional word-based Boolean techniques. Evaluation of search results by calculating relative recall and precision is discussed, and user…

Describes the continuing development of a bibliographic instruction (BI) course at Carleton College for a sociology/anthropology research methods course that focuses on statistical sources. Goals and objectives of the course are explained, and various methods of teaching search strategies are described, including overhead transparencies, handouts,…

This article describes an assessment approach for students with severe and multiple disabilities, SMH.PAL, that employs expert system technology. The system matches behavior topography with studies describing treatment approaches and then generates case-specific, annotated descriptions of potentially useful articles. It also models an approach to…

Discusses reasons why libraries are being forced to seek new forms of information storage. A hypothetical scenario of user-initiated document delivery alternatives integrated with a search process used by a professor using the Harvard OnLine Library Information System is presented. Extensive notes elaborate on the process and the technology…

Describes four studies that explored how search experts and domain experts conducted searches in full-text, end-user search systems. Problem definition/expectation; query formulation; examination and extraction; reflection, stopping, and search monitoring; and system effects are examined for each study. (26 references) (EA)

Describes the structure, purpose, and some of the idiosyncracies of the Century of Prose Corpus. The database covers English prose for the 1675-1780 period. Part A consists of 20 major authors; part B contains 100 secondary authors. Selections vary in length and allow scholars to search for comparisons and inconsistencies. (MJP)

This study examined the effects of the number of links and the granularity of nodes on undergraduate and graduate students' information searching, learning performance, and attitude toward hypermedia systems. Discusses the relationship between the number of links and cognitive overhead an/or disorientation as well as implications for Web-based…

This article reports the results of a study of Master's degree students concerning the role of individual differences in Internet searching, including cognitive styles, levels of prior experience, Internet perceptions, study approaches, age, and gender. Discusses retrieval effectiveness and self-efficacy and suggests implications for system…

This paper focuses on developing a relatively simple method for analyzing web-logs. It also explores the challenges and benefits of web-log analysis. The study of student behavior on this site provides insights into website design and the effectiveness of this site in particular. Another benefit realized from the paper is the ease with which these…

This book has been designed to assist researchers in the social sciences and education fields who are interested in learning how information technologies can help them successfully navigate the research process. Most researchers are familiar with the use of programs like SPSS to analyze data, but many are not aware of other ways information…

This paper outlines the use of computer resources to conduct a literature search. While the phrase "computer archives" can refer to all computerized materials, for this discussion it is limited to textual information available online. Both commercial online services and organizations on the Internet offer files to search and download. In addition,…