Thesaurus Testing Instructions

1. Read the Integration and Implementation Sciences Introduction

2. Review the 7 citations with notes given on the Test Citations page.

3. For each article, imagine that you loved the article and wanted to find more just like it. Write a list of terms you would use to search for similar articles. (5 to 8 terms is common)
   • For example, if you read an article about "Great spots for viewing annual wildebeest migrations in Kenya" you might make a list of words like: wildebeest, migration patterns, tourism, Kenya, etc. As you look up these concepts in a particular thesaurus you may be forced into larger and more general categories (Africa instead of Kenya, wildlife instead of wildebeest, migration instead of migration patterns) or be able to get even more specific (Animal migration Vs. Human, Bird or whale migration; Tourist attractions).

   • Use the title and notes to assess the subject of the document. You may not need to fully read all the notes to get enough of a sense of the document to characterize it in 5-8 terms. Be careful of notes that may identify topics that were missing from the document.

   • Imagine a Ven diagram with circles representing all the articles that cover each of your terms. The place where they intersect should have all the material that would be just like the article you are indexing.

   • Don't worry if you don't understand all the language or references in the notes, just do your best.
   If you run out of time, you can stop here, otherwise continue!

4. Read the IIS Thesaurus Introduction and Indexing Instructions

5. For each of your lists, follow the Indexing Instructions and
   • LOOK IN ERIC - Look first in the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors to find an appropriate term that most closely resembles the one on your list.

   • WRITE DOWN THE ERIC TERM - If you find one in the ERIC thesaurus, write the term next to your original term and write “ERIC” at the end of the term. (e.g. "SYSTEMS THEORY (ERIC)"). (Keep in mind that ERIC might use a synonym of the term you selected. Do not list terms that ERIC identifies as synonyms; use the term that you are told to use.)
     

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

   • WRITE DOWN THE IIS TERM -When you find the best term in the IIS Thesaurus, write the term next to your original term and write "IIS" at the end of the term. (e.g. "INTEGRATION (IIS)") (Keep in mind that IIS also uses synonyms to help lead you to the preferred term. If the IIS Thesaurus indicates "Use", write down the term you are instructed to use.) If you still don't like what you find in IIS, you may return to ERIC or determine that no term is adequate from either thesaurus to represent your term.
     

   • RATE THE TERMS YOU FOUND -Next to each thesaurus term, write down a number from 1-5 indicating how satisfied you were with the term you ended up with. Additional comments about the experience of searching for that term would be greatly appreciated.
     
     • 1 - Extremely dissatisfied (you were unable to find a satisfactory term)
     • 2 - Dissatisfied (you found a representative term, but did not like it)
     • 3 - Satisfied (you found a satisfactory or "good enough" term)
     • 4 - Very Satisfied (you found a term that was a very close fit)
     • 5 - Pleased (you found your exact term or something even better/more specific)

   Comments on the thesaurus and indexing instructions will also be useful.

   FINAL STEP

6. E-mail your completed lists and comments to Caryn Anderson ( CarynLAnderson@yahoo.com) or Kyle Nicholls (kenicholls@comcast.net)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!