Proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific Information Two Volumes (1959) / Chapter Skim
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An Evaluation of Abstracting Journals and Indexes
An Evaluation of Abstracting Journals and Indexes
Pages 321-350
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From page 321... ...
SMITH The purpose of this investigation is to examine the relation of typical abstract journals and indexes in the physical sciences and engineering to some literature search activities in a basic research situation. The structure of the literature and the characteristics of abstract journals and indexes in relation to its structure are discussed.
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From page 322... ...
The Committee at present includes two aeronautical engineering professors, the chiefengineer ofthejet propulsion projects, a recent doctoral graduate associated with jet propulsion research, a metallurgist, two nuclear physicists, and an engineer associated with nuclear research. All major research areas are represented.
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From page 323... ...
A third category is articles in collected volumes of papers, such as the proceedings of congresses and symposia, commemorative volumes, survey volumes, and annual review volumes. In 15 cases readily assessed for the types of literature represented in them, there were recorded 601 journal articles, 1048 reports, 208 articles from collected volumes, 17 books and 43 of such types of literature as engineering society preprints, dissertations, ant!
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From page 324... ...
The point made is that journals alone obviously do not carry the research Toad, that they should not carry it, and that the entire spectrum of the recorded available literature must be considered in relation to information problems. For a more realistic view of the actual use of the principal types of scientific and technical literature, reference is made to Table 1,"Unclassified Items on Loan, November 22, 1957." Attention is called to the limitations ofthis sample TABLE ~ The Forrestal Research Center Library of the Princeton University Library: Unclassified Items on Loan, November 22, 1957 Books Periodicals Reports Total Aeronautical engineering Graduate students 104 13 86 203 Faculty 71 17 174 262 Subsonic 22 11 288 321 Helicopter and instrumentation 79 31 117 227 Gas dynamics 75 29 103 207 Jet propulsion 75 13 195 283 Total 426 114 963 1503 Matterhorn 185 32 31 248 Metallurgy 22 10 9 41 Organic chemistry 33 7 40 Mathematics 7 - 4 11 Accelerator 36 — 36 Total 283 49 44 376 Campus students 18 3 31 52 Campus faculty 3 10 27 40 Other campus 3 5 8 Total 24 13 63 100 Outside interlibrary loans — 9 76 85 Totals 733 185 1146 2064 of use.
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From page 325... ...
the Technical Notes 1 ' of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics have long been indexed in the Engineering Index and the Aeronautical Engineering Review; and the Information Circulars and the Reports of Investigations of the U.S.
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From page 326... ...
The Engineering Index and the Aeronautical Engineering Review list their contents but do not abstract the papers. In the work described in this paper, access to this type of literature has been largely through the library catalog and by direct examination.
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From page 327... ...
For certain types of information, it is more efficient to use other sources and techniques entirely, such as asking authoritative persons, direct examination of likely items and, above all, the location of one or more review articles, one or more recent articles having bibliographies, an existing bibliography bearing on the subject, a treatise, a monograph, or a dissertation. In cases 40 and 4l, for example, somebody was asked.
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From page 328... ...
, for example, may be expected between Chemical Abstracts, Physics Abstracts, and various engineering sources. Wide duplication may be expected among scientific and engineering abstract journals and indexes in such fields as fluid mechanics (cases I, 8, Il)
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From page 329... ...
Two mentioned Applied Mechanics Reviews, one mentioned Mathematical Reviews, and one who used both of these mentioned the usefulness of International Aeronautical Abstracts, published since January 1956 in the Aeronautical Engineering Review. The chemist regularly uses Chemical Abstracts, and felt that no other abstract journal could eaual it in breadth of ., a- · .
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From page 330... ...
Coverage, quality of abstracts, anal subject indlexes The three qualities of abstract journals and indexes which are most difficult to evaluate are coverage, quality of abstracts, and subject indexes. There is no definite proof in the present paper that any specific abstract journal lacks coverage in its field, that its abstracts are lacking in quality, or that its subject indexes are inadequate.
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From page 331... ...
The Engineering Index does not cover dissertations, patents, and unpublished reports and translations, and is selective toward the practical side in its coverage of published material, as Applied Mechanics Reviews is selective toward the analytical side. Electrical Engineering Abstracts, Physics Abstracts, and Mathematical Reviews would not be expected to cover dissertations, patents, or very much unpublished material.
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From page 332... ...
A prompt excellent subject index and comprehensive coverage are not compatible as judged by the Chemical Abstracts operation. The subject indexes of Applied Mechanics Reviews, Nuclear Science Abstracts, Physics Abstracts, Electrical Engineering Abstracts, and Mathematical Reviews are prompt and are invaluable to the user.
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From page 333... ...
The Title Announcement Bulletin, replaced by the Technical Abstract Bulletin, had no subject indexes and no abstracts. Some additional abstract journals and indexes For various reasons, certain indexes have been omitted entirely from the cliscussion of this paper, or have been mentioned only briefly.
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From page 334... ...
and cumulated annually (Applied Mechanics Reviews; Chemical Abstracts; Electrical 1 .- 1 1 ·1 · .1 Engineering Abstracts; Mathematical Reviews; Nuclear Science Abstracts: Physics Abstracts)
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From page 335... ...
Bibliographicalform should include, for journals, the full title ofthe article, the author or authors, the title of the journal in a standard recognizable abbreviation, volume, number or date of issue, year, and inclusive pages (Electrical Engineering Abstracts; Physics Abstracts; Nuclear Science Abstracts; Applied Mechanics Reviews; Engineering Index)
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From page 336... ...
251-254. PRINCIPAL ABSTRACT JOURNALS AND INDEXES DISCUSSED Aeronautical Engineering Index.
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From page 337... ...
Arlington, Va., U.S. Armed Services Technical Information Agency.
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From page 338... ...
26. Power Spectrum Analysis 27.
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From page 339... ...
126 pp. Source Applied Mechanics Reviews ASTIA Title Announcement Bulletin ASTIA abstract cards Physics Abstracts NACA Research Abstracts Chemical Abstracts Brown University, Summaries on Compressible Flow Engineering Index Nuclear Science Abstracts Card catalogs Total From the literature Direct examination Total 6 2 55 35 22 57 Reports Journals Conferences Total 6 24 4 17 16 13 2 2 48 4 51 6 20 43 71 49 34 17 16 13 7 7 6 2 1 4 107 92 85 177 Unaccounted for 8 15 2 25 Books, dissertations, films 20 20 Total 329 This search was requested by a chemical engineering professor, and its undertaking was supported by two aeronautical engineering professors.
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From page 340... ...
Source NACA Research Abstracts Applied Mechanics Reviews ASTIA Title Announcement Bulletin Pacific Aeronautical Index '55 NACA Indexes Physics Abstracts Aeronautical Engineering Review Chemical Abstracts Battelle Technical Review U
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From page 341... ...
56 pp. Source Reports JOIJrHalS Conferences Total ASTIA Title Announcement Bulletin 29 29 NACA Research Abstracts 18 18 Aeronautical Engineering Review 1 13 14 Pacific Aeronautical Index '55 13 13 Applied Mechanics Reviews 5 6 11 Forrestal Research Center Acquisitions List 4 4 United Aircraft Corp.
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From page 342... ...
Of these items, one each was located through the Engineering Index, Nuclear Science Abstracts, Physics Abstracts, and Dissertation Abstracts. The remaining 15 items were derived from direct examination or from authors' citations.
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From page 343... ...
The request was made by an engineer with a helicopter project. The sources searched systematically were the Engineering Index, Aeronautical Engineering Index' Aeronautical Engineering Review, Applied Mechanics Reviews, NACA Research Abstracts, and Technical Information Pilot (Library of Congress, Technical Information Division)
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From page 344... ...
Novemberl957. Source Engineering Index, 1950 to date Air University Periodical Index Aeronautical Engineering Index Title Announcement Bulletin Previous brief search Direct examination From card catalog Reports Journals 4 4 3 Conference proceedings Total 4 3 1 2 1 1 4 3 2 2 Total 3 15 3 Estimated time, 2 hours.
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From page 345... ...
The Engineering Index, Applied Mechanics Reviews, Aeronautical Engineering Indlex, Aeronautical Engineering Review, and NACA Research Abstracts were used also.
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From page 346... ...
1952. A list of 17 references was compiled from Chemical Abstracts, Engineering Index, Physics Abstracts, and Nuclear Science Abstracts.
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From page 347... ...
Some 14 items were collected for the use of the requesting engineer with a nuclear physics project, through Physics Abstracts and Chemical Abstracts, published between 1935 and December 1955. Data on the desired electrical and magnetic properties were not located.
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The principal sources were the Aeronautical Engineering Review and the Engineering Index anciavisitinglecturerin aeronautical engineering. Of 10 articles located, the inquirer wished to see all.
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From page 349... ...
1955. One reference was obtained by the requesting electrical engineer through the Engineering Index while the searcher located two Atomic Energy Commission Reports through Nuclear Science Abstracts.
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From page 350... ...
Five articles were assembled, and two books were obtained. The principal sources were the Engineering Index and library card catalogs.
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