Chemical toxicology searching: a collaborative evaluation, comparing information resources and searching techniques

Abstract

A collaborative evaluation project has been carried out by fourteen UK and European organisations, both industrial and public sector, to compare information resources and searching techniques for chemical toxrcology information. The project had two objectives: to improve the participants' own expertise in this area, and to allow an objective evaluation of searching methods. Eight test queries were designed and searched by the participants, and the results evaluated semi-qualitatively, with an extensive failure analysis.Printed sources, online data-bases, data-banks, and in-house files were included in the evaluation. The results are presented and discussed, including both comments on strengths and weaknesses of sources and search techniques, and recommendations for future improvements to facilitate access to chemical toxicology information.

Comparison of search techniques (printed and computerised) with specific reference to the RTECS databank

“…Not only will this remove irrelevant structures, but can find additional compounds for which nomenclature searching is difficult, if not impossible [4,10]: this was not the case here. In this search, the use of CIS did not have any great advantage over BLAISE-LINK, because the type of compounds searched for were clearly identifiable by nomenclature.…”

“…This was a rather more specific version of a test query in the previous study [4]. It was noted there that the databank record structure is particularly suitable for this sort of query, rather than that of a database structure by bibliographic reference.…”

“…Ei,all4atioii melhods ' The test query method of evaluation was used for this project, in much the same way as in a preceding larger study of toxicology information resources [4]. The evaluation procedure in the present study was not so elaborate, since the element of collaboration by users with a variety of background and expertise was absent.…”

“…Both actual data (numerical or factual) and associated hihliographic references are included. This databank is a very commonly used resource for chemical toxicology searching [4,5,6].…”

Comparative evaluation of the performance of online databases in answering toxicology queries

“…Being toxicology-oriented, these resources can employ specific criteria for coverage, and specific indexing languages and policies, to meet the needs of the toxicologist. They were found to be of value in an earlier study, particularly because of their wide coverage of material which may not be found in other sources (Bawden and Brock 1982). More generally, the ability of in-house databases to provide high levels of recall and precision in retrieval of biomedical material has been demonstrated (Gretz and Thomas 1995, Sodha and van Amelsvoort 1994, Datta 1988.…”