Guidelines for Use

• Using the IIS Thesaurus System
• Indexing Guidelines
• Thesaurus Maintenance
• Acknowledgements

Using the IIS Thesaurus Systems

The IIS thesaurus system may be used by indexers choosing descriptors (terms) for resources they are indexing and also by searchers wanting to know what terms will be most successful in finding indexed resources that relate to their topic of interest. Both will have an IIS concept or topic in mind, in their own words, and want to find the appropriate term to describe it.

To find the appropriate term, consult both the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors AND the IIS Thesaurus in the following order:

LOOK IN ERIC - Look first in the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors to find an appropriate term that most closely resembles the concept you are looking for. Pay attention to Synonym and Use references and index or search with the preferred term.

LOOK IN THE IIS THEAURUS - If you don't find a term in ERIC that represents your term successfully, next check the IIS Thesaurus.

EXPLORE BOTH THESAURI - If you still don't like what you find in IIS, remember that possibly related terms (RTs) in ERIC are not currently referenced from the IIS Thesaurus, so feel free to return to ERIC for further exploration if necessary.

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Indexing Guidelines

Policies governing indexing practices are determined by the organizations financing the unique indexing activity. The following guidelines are recommended as minimum policies for indexing Integration and Implementation resources.

1. For each resource, assign at least one descriptor to identify which of the 6 key IIS areas the resource primarily concerns itself with. IIS research area descriptors are identified in the IIS Thesaurus as follows:

COMPLEXITY SCIENCE
SYSTEMS THINKING
PARTICIPATORY METHODS
DIVERSE EPISTEMOLOGIES
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH (ERIC)
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Assign descriptors for any research areas that apply. If all apply, use INTEGRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCES.

2. For each resource, assign at least one descriptor to identify which of the 8 principle sectors of social activity the resource primarily concerns itself with. IIS sector descriptors are identified in the IIS Thesaurus as follows:

EDUCATION (ERIC)
ENVIRONMENT
HEALTH (ERIC)
INNOVATION AND BUSINESS
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
POLICY AND GOVERNMENT
RISK AND SECURITY
SOCIETY, HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND CULTURE

Assign descriptors for any sectors that apply. If the resource is concerned exclusively with academic level research with no reference to sector application, use EDUCATION (ERIC).

3. Assign 5 to 8 total terms (descriptors) to each resource being indexed.

4. Do not distinguish weights for different terms (i.e. no minor vs. major descriptors).

5. Be as specific as you can possibly be (e.g. don't index everything with Integration and Implementation Sciences), and be exhaustive (e.g. assign as many descriptors as possible within the 5-8 range to represent all the subjects under which an investigator might find a use for the resource).

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Thesaurus Maintenance

The first draft of the IIS Thesaurus was made available on the Web on 19 April 2004. Comments, questions, and suggestions regarding additional terms or presentation are encouraged and appreciated. Please contact Caryn Anderson at:

Caryn L. Anderson
P.O. Box 300788
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
USA
E-mail: CarynLAnderson@yahoo.com.

Acknowledgements

The creators would like to especially thank Dr. Candy Schwartz at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and Dr. Gabriele Bammer at Australian National University in Canberra, ACT, Australia for their invaluable support and contributions to this project.

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