INDEXING

AND
ABSTRACTING

MODULE FIVE
DISPLAYED &
NON-DISPLAYED INDEXES

COURSE TUTOR
DR. DAMARIS ODERO
oderodjn-
indexing@googlegroups.com
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DISPLAYED AND
NON- DISPLAYED
DEFINED

Displayed index
An index that may be searched by
means of visual inspection

Non-displayed index
An index that is searched by means of
electronic comparison and matching
controlled by computer algorithms. The
complete index itself is not displayed
for visual inspection
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CHARACTERISTICS OF
NON-DISPLAYED INDEXES

1. The index is not displayed to the user during

an actual search;
2. Users are expected to describe the topics or
features that interest them at the searching
stage;
3. Index headings are normally designed to
represent one concept even for compound
subjects
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CHARACTERISTICS OF
DISPLAYED INDEXES

1. Index headings are created to describe in

advance the topics and features of possible
interest in the documentary units
2. Users are not required to come up with any
search statement on their own.
3. Both simple and compound subject are
presented in an already pre-coordinated
form
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ADVANTAGES OF
NON-DISPLAYED INDEXES
Kenya AND History AND Mau Mau AND war AND Literature
Mau Mau AND History AND Kenya AND Literature AND war
1. Searchers may use any terms
they want to, and there is no 4. Allows for the use of
need to worry about the a range of search
order of terms. strategies that can
narrow and broaden
2. There are often no
searches (e.g.
constraints in what users can
truncation, wild
search for or how they
cards, proximity
describe it.
requirement, Boolean
3. Facilitates a fastest way to operators, term
find a useful documentary weights, etc.)
units or information sources

NON-DISPLAYED INDEXES
1. No guarantee of match
between users search
statement and database
records or texts, or retrieval
of reasonable number of
items;
2. It is often hard to get an
overall idea of IR database
content;
3. Syntax for creating a
sophisticated search statement
can be quite daunting;
6
DIS-ADVANTAGES OF
4. Sometimes the results of
a search may consists of
hundreds, even
thousands, of
undifferentiated records;
5. Can be difficult and
frustrating in many
situations, especially
when users are not quite
sure what they are
looking for.

1. Users are guaranteed
retrievals if they pick an
existing index heading.
2. Retrieved items can reflect
the index heading fairly
closely and manageable in
number.
3. Index headings are created to
describe in advance the topics
and features of possible
interest in the documentary
units of the database
7
ADVANTAGES OF
DISPLAYED INDEXES
4. Users are not required to
come up with any
search statement of their
own;
5. Conveys a mental image
of the scope, content &
organization of the IR;
6. Users may browse the
entire database, or they
may select portions of
the database to browse
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DIS-ADVANTAGES OF
DISPLAYED INDEXES

1. Users must figure out how the index is

arranged and terms used to describe the
concepts;
2. Some entry arrangements can be quite
complex, hence making browsing
challenging;
3. Most are inadequate in vocabulary control
and navigation assistance