---

Indexing

Let's say that you just got a job to review and analyze every article in a magazine or on a web site. Your job is to categorize each article under a suitable subject heading(s). This will then enable people who are interested in a given subject to find appropriate articles. The person who reads and categorizes articles is called an indexer. The indexer must read each article and determine which terms best describe the article for the index.

Print out the following article by Ruth Boetcker in the DeWitt Library Notes.

Fable versus Fact: College Research Online

Read the article, and then circle every word that you think is important enough to be indexed. Are there any additional words or phrases you might use as subject headings or indexing terms? List the terms you would use.

Which terms did you think were appropriate? Internet? Education? Schools? Term papers? Privacy? Censorship? Research? Students? Online searching? Libraries? Information? Databases? Virtual libraries? E-mail? Subject headings? Key words? Reliability of web sites? World Wide Web? Digital information? Information literacy? Student access to information? Research skills? Others?

Although you may feel all these subject headings are appropriate, not every term or noun in an article would be selected. A database uses major or specific subject headings or descriptors for each article. Different databases have different lists of descriptors, or subject headings, from which to select the best terms to describe the contents of the article.

Look to see how this article might be indexed in several types of periodical databases available to researchers. Be sure to note the descriptor or subject field as well as anything else you think significant.