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Background Information

Review of Existing Indexing Languages

Analysis of Structure of Indexing Language in Thesaurus

Thesaurus

User Guide
Alphabetical Display
Hierarchical Display
Top Term Display
Rotated Display
Graphical Display

ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURE OF INDEXING LANGUAGE IN THESAURUS

• Suitability for the Environment
• Type of Indexing Language
• Pre-Coordinate Headings and Post-Coordinate Retrieval
• Forms of Terms
• Precision and Recall
• Specificity and Exhaustivity

Specificity and Exhaustivity

High specificity is desired in the indexing since it tends to lead to higher precision in retrieval. High specificity is evident in a thesaurus with a multilevel hierarchical structure (6.2.2.1.). On the other hand, exhaustive indexing leads to high recall, which often has the effect of retrieving less relevant information. The Smart Suits Thesaurus is meant for the product lines stocked by Smart Suits, and not for every suit design that is available in the market. Thus, high exhaustivity is less emphasized than high specificity for the purpose of developing this thesaurus.