Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice (Hardcover)

by F. W. Lancaster (Author), F.W. Lancaster (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'This is primarily a text for teaching in schools of library and information science. It is also invaluable reading for anyone developing a search engine or planning to publish a bibliographic [tool.]' MANAGING INFORMATION --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Award-winning author F.W. Lancaster has revised his widely used text, Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice, to address growing complexities in the field. New chapters in the second edition feature multimedia sources and indexing within the Internet; chapters on text searching, automatic processing methods, and the future of indexing and abstracting are substantially revised. The first nine chapters, covering basic principles and theories, are updated and the section of practical exercises is modified by use of the current edition of UNBIS Thesaurus.

Researchers from a wide range of disciplines are now involved in content analysis activities that formerly were the sole concern of members of the library and information science field. At the same time, indexing and abstracting have grown in interest within other major disciplines, such as medicine. As a result, relevant articles have become increasingly scattered throughout varied literatures, and a wide range of technologies such as linguistics, computer science, artificial intelligence, and pattern recognition now impinge upon the subject matter of this book, providing the impetus for updating a text noted for both its practicality and attention to theoretical underpinnings.

As with the first edition, Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice remains primarily a text for teaching the subject. However, it also holds value for managers of information services and others concerned with indexing, abstracting, and all related issues of content analysis. Chapters focus on indexing principles, indexing practice, consistency and quality of indexing, the types and functions of abstracts, writing and evaluating the abstract, enhancing indexing, natural language in information retrieval, automated indexing and abstracting, indexing of multimedia sources, indexing within the Internet, and the future of indexing and abstracting services. The section of exercises provides concrete illustrations of the text's major points.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 412 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois, Graduate School of Li; 2nd Rev edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878451021
• ISBN-13: 978-0878451029
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,377,098 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The state of the art of Information Science, April 28, 2000

By	Birger Hjørland (Bagsværd, Denmark) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

F.W.Lancaster is a true pioneer in Information Science. He is in my opinion at least among the top ten along with persons such as Eugene Garfield and Patrick Wilson. And in a way he is broader than they are. This book represents in my view the state of the art of a core area in information science today. This does not mean, that I am not critical of it. I have written a long review of this book in the Journal of Documentation, June 1999, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 345-351. In this review I outline how research in this field can be improved. But I believe it will take a long time before we can replace this book with a better one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential , November 30, 2005

By	Michelynn (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews

Since 'Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice' was a required text for my Subject Analysis course, I expected Lancaster's book to be involved and informative... and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Not only does he provide analysis of indexing and abstracting theories, but he includes specific guidelines and examples for a variety of techniques. Most reviews concern earlier editions, but the third edition has only slight changes (addition of chapters concerning indexing/abstracting in context of advancing technology).