CHECK-LIST FOR THESAURUS SOFTWARE

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Information Management Consultants

CHECK-LIST FOR THESAURUS SOFTWARE
by Jochen Ganzmann

Originally published in International Classification, 1990, vol.17, no.3/4, p.155-157 as an appendix to the paper Criteria for the evaluation of thesaurus software and reprinted here by permission of Dr Ganzmann, the International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO) and the current publishers, Ergon Verlag.

A. GENERAL CRITERIA

1. Technical Data

Hardware Compatibility:
- computers on which software runs
- storage required:
  - RAM
  - external storage devices
- operating systems
  - single user
  - multi-user
Software Package
- programming language
- single user
- multi-user

2. Development Data

Developer
Versions:
- recent version
- first version
- overall number of versions

3. Prices

Software Package:
- single user
- multi-user
Extras/Modifications
Updates:
- single user
- multi-user
Support:
- installation
- updating
- application
- hotline
Training
Discounts

4. Support

Supporting Institution
Forms of support
- hotline telephone
- consultation
- training
- newsletters
- active support
  - installation
  - updating
  - modification

5. Acceptance

Number of installations
User groups
Reviews in articles

6. Ergonomics

6.1 Documentation

Types of manual:
- operations manual
- user manual
Parts included:
- table of contents
- documentation of:
  - technical specifications
  - installation
  - application
  - error messages
  - backup and recovery
- index
User friendliness
- structure of manual
- completeness of information
- correctness of information
- clarity:
  - style
  - examples
- training disc
- tutorial

6.2 Software Ergonomics

Language of User Surface
Complexity of Screen Layout:
- structure of information
- colouring
- window technique
Dialog Forms:
- command driven
- menu driven
- hybrid
- mouse
Help Functions
Messages:
- self-explanatory
- explained in manual
- error messages
- feedback messages
- alert messages
- confirmation messages
Provision for Different User Levels

7. Data Integrity

Access Control:
- password
- restrictions for individual users
  - restriction to specific databases
  - restrictions to specific functions
Backup Procedures
- automatic
- storage device
Reorganisation Features
Recovery Features

B. CRITERIA RELATING TO FUNCTIONS OF THESAURUS SOFTWARE

1. Structural Definitions

1.1 Term and Term Related Attributes

Predefined Fields for:
- Term
  - maximum number of characters
- Scope Note/Text
  - maximum number of characters
- Notation
  - no differentiation
  - differentiation for:
    - broad categorization (subject groups/facets)
    - systematic categorization
  - maximum number of characters
- Source of Term
  - maximum number of characters
  - variable length
- Information as to Language of Term
  - maximum number of characters
- additional fields
  - maximum number of characters
User Definitions
- number of fields
- length of fields
- sequence of fields

1.2 Relations

1.2.1 Among Terms of One Vocabulary (Monolingual Thesaurus)

Definition of Relations:
- predefined relations
- relations user-definable
Number of Predefined relations
Types of Relations:
- equivalence relationship:
  - normal synonymy (non-descriptor(s) à descriptor)
  - semantic factoring (non-descriptor à descriptors)
  - alternatives (non-descriptor à alternative descriptors)
- hierarchical relationship:
  - no differentiation
  - differentiation of partitive and generic relation
  - definition of dividing principles (categories)
- associative relationship:
  - no differentiation
  - differentiation of various types (e.g. predecessor - successor, appurtenance relation etc.)
    - which relations?
Number of Relations between Individual Terms:
- equivalence relationship:
  - normal synonymy (max. number of non-descriptors per descriptor)
  - semantic factoring (max. number of factors per non-descriptor)
  - alternatives (max. number of alternative descriptors per non-descriptor)
- hierarchical relationship:
  - number of lower terms per broader term
  - number of broader terms per lower term (polyhierarchy)
  - number of hierarchical levels
- associative relationship

1.2.2 Among Terms from Different Vocabularies

Type of Vocabularies:
- multilingual thesauri
- compatible vocabularies
Connection Between Different Natural Languages (Multilingual Thesauri)
- maximum number of different languages
- status of individual language(s):
  - equal languages
  - dominance of one language
Connection between Different Indexing Languages:
- maximum number of indexing languages
- types of indexing language:
  - classifications
  - thesauri
- status of individual language
Mode of Connection:
- reference of terms to a switching language
- direct translation of different vocabularies (mapping of vocabularies)

2. Input (Thesaurus Construction and Maintenance)

2.1 Capture of Data

Mode of Capture:
- batch input from other system
- keyboard:
  - mode of input of terms and attributes
  - mode of input of relations
Ease of Capture:
- complexity of input of terms and relations
  - separate steps?
  - fixed sequence of input routines?
- display of entered terms (and relations) on screen
- automatic derivation of implicit relations

2.2 Modification

Mode of Modification:
- global changes possible (of language codes etc.)
- keyboard
  - mode of modification of terms and attributes
  - mode of modification of relations
Ease of Modification:
- complexity of modification
- ease of changes affecting the status of terms (descriptor - non-descriptor)
- display of terms (and relations) on screen

2.3 Deletion

Mode of Deletion:
- global deletions of terms/relations
- keyboard
  - mode of deletion of terms and attributes
  - mode of deletion of relations
Ease of Deletion
- complexity of deletion
- automatic deletion of relations of a term deleted

2.4 Consistency Controls

Definition:
- predefined
- user-definable
Term and Term Attributes:
- rejection of duplicate entries of the same term
  - modification of control possible for input of several natural or indexing languages
- definition of admissibility of characters for attribute fields (language codes, notation etc.)
Relations:
- control of reciprocity of relations
- rejection of more than one type of relation between two terms
- rejection of incomplete relations (e.g. semantic factoring with only one factor)
- rejection of duplicate relations of one type between two terms
- rejection of hierarchical or associative relationship between descriptors and non-descriptors
- control of illogical relations across hierarchical levels
- other controls

3. Output

3.1 Display on the Screen

Mode of Search for Terms:
- browsing
- scrolling
- other possibilities
Display of Individual Terms
- with attributes
- with relations
Display of Word-Lists
- criteria for selection of terms:
  - alphabetical section
  - strings
  - attributes (language, notation, source etc.)
  - types of relation
  - words marked for specific purposes
  - combination of criteria
- forms of display of word-lists:
- alphabetical array:
  - word-list
  - word-list plus relations and attributes
  - other variations
- KWIC-display
- hierarchical display
- systematic presentation (sorting by notation)
  - detailed system
    - without reference to relations
    - with reference to relations
  - broad categories (subject groups/facets)
- graphical display
Interaction Possible in Thesaurus on Screen:
- scrolling/browsing
- navigation to semantically related terms
- selection of terms for editing and deletion
- direct modifications and deletions in lists

3.2 Output by the Printer

Definition of Output Formats:
- standard formats predefined
- user definable formats
  - storage of user defined formats
Criteria for Selection of Terms:
- alphabetical section
- strings
- attributes (notation, facet etc.)
- types of relation
- combination of criteria
Forms of Display:
- alphabetical array
  - without further information
  - with relations
  - with attributes
- KWIC-display
- hierarchical display
  - without relations
  - with relations
- systematic presentation (sorting by notation)
  - detailed system
    - without relations
    - with relations
    - with attributes
    - with node labels
  - broad categories (subject groups/facets)
- graphical display
- display in columns for multilingual/compatible vocabularies
User-definable Features:
- information added to terms:
  - relations
  - attributes
- presentation of the relations:
  - suppression of certain relations (e.g. implicit relations)
  - sequence of relations in print
  - user-definable reference codes for output (e.g in accordance with ISO/DIN)
- layout:
  - pagination
  - line pitch
  - caption
  - typographic differentiation of descriptors/non-descriptors
  - other features

3.3 Output to a File

Formats of Output:
- ASCII file
- Special format required by other system (i.e. retrieval software, thesaurus maintenance program)

4. Indexing and Retrieval

4.1 Indexing

Orientation:
- display forms of thesaurus on screen (cf. also 3.1: Display on the screen):
  - alphabetical display
  - systematic display
  - other forms of display
- search mode for terms
- navigation through semantic structure
Mode of input:
- entering of terms
- direct selection of terms from screen thesaurus
Control of Input:
- rejection of unknown terms
- user-definable for use of candidate terms
replacement of thesaurus terms not admitted for indexing:
- replacement of compound terms by semantic factors
- replacement of non-descriptor by descriptor (for thesauri with preferred terms)
- replacement of terms in secondary language by terms from dominant language in multilingual thesauri
Representation of concepts:
- preferred term (descriptor)
- no preferred term
Updating:
- global changes in index
- statistics on use of descriptors

4.2 Retrieval

Orientation:
- display forms of thesaurus on screen (cf. also 3.1: Display on the screen):
  - alphabetical display
  - systematic display
  - other forms of display
- search mode for terms
- navigation through semantic structure
Mode of input:
- entering of terms
- direct selection of terms from screen thesaurus
Control of input:
- rejection of unknown terms
- replacement of thesaurus terms not admitted for the representation of concepts:
  - replacement of compound terms by semantic factors
  - replacement of non-descriptors by descriptors (in thesauri with preferred terms)
  - replacement of terms from secondary language by terms from dominant language in multilingual thesauri
- automatic inclusion of all synonyms (in case of thesauri without preferred terms)
Formulation of search strategies:
- automatic generic search option
- automatic search for related terms
- automatic inclusion of search term predecessors
Updating:
- statistics on the use of search terms

This document is at http://www.willpowerinfo.co.uk/criteriaframes.htm
Revised 16th December 1997

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