The readability of guides to the literature

Mayes, Paul

doi:10.1108/eb050623

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Out of a handful of articles, one theme was explored by at least four authors, that of readability. While Jackson (1984) provided tips on how to make pathfinders more readable to the average user, Mayes (1978) and Peterson and Coniglio (1987, p. 470) measured readability with the use of statistical tests. Jackson stressed the importance of choosing meaningful titles for the guides and for the section headings within and to be sure to begin headings with action verbs.…”

Section: Traditional Pathfindersmentioning

confidence: 99%

From paper to electronic, the evolution of pathfinders: a review of the literature

Vileno

2007

Reference Services Review

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the literature on pathfinders, from the 1970s to the present.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews a range of publications which describe the methodology of pathfinders, provide practical advice and information, present research results, to aid librarians and library administrators in how to best manage the production and marketing of pathfinders.FindingsIt was found that not much has been written on pathfinders. A few articles on traditional pathfinders were published between 1972 and 1995. In 1996, the electronic format took over. Most of the articles are of a practical nature although some describe empirical research. One void in the literature that has been found is librarians' lack of knowledge of users' needs and preferences. This results in much time and effort being dedicated to the production of pathfinders but without any consideration of users, thus discouraging them from using the available resources.Practical implicationsThis paper will be a useful source of information for librarians. It provides an overview of guidelines and best practices currently reported in the literature as well as the latest technical and educational trends.Originality/valueSuch an extensive review of the literature on pathfinders has not been done before. It provides practical information for librarians wanting to embark on the production of pathfinders. It also identifies possible areas of future study.

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Section: Traditional Pathfindersmentioning

confidence: 99%

From paper to electronic, the evolution of pathfinders: a review of the literature

Vileno

2007

Reference Services Review

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“…Among the few studies in this field are A Survey of Subject Guides to Sources of Information Produced by Library and Information Services in the United Kingdom (Taylor, 1978) conducted by ASLIB, Mayes' (1978) investigation of the readability of guides to the literature, and Kapoun's (1995) discussion of criteria for the evaluation of guides. Anson and Woodward (1992) and Surles (1989) surveyed legal research guides, while Allen (1993) surveyed essential business reference sources.…”

Section: Domain Analysis In Information Science 423mentioning

confidence: 99%

Domain analysis in information science

Hjørland

2002

Journal of Documentation

313

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What kind of knowledge is needed by information specialists working in a specific subject field like medicine, sociology or music? What approaches have been used in information science to produce kinds of domain-specific knowledge? This article presents 11 approaches to domain analysis. Together these approaches make a unique competence for information specialists. The approaches are: producing literature guides and subject gateways; producing special classifications and thesauri; research on indexing and retrieving specialities; empirical user studies; bibliometrical studies; historical studies; document and genre studies; epistemological and critical studies; terminological studies, LSP (languages for special purposes), discourse studies; studies of structures and institutions in scientific communication; and domain analysis in professional cognition and artificial intelligence. Specific examples and selective reviews of literature are provided, and the strengths and drawbacks of each of these approaches are discussed.

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The Readability of Children's Reference Materials

1990

The Library Quarterly

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The readability of guides to the literature

Cited by 4 publications

References 4 publications

From paper to electronic, the evolution of pathfinders: a review of the literature

From paper to electronic, the evolution of pathfinders: a review of the literature

Domain analysis in information science

The Readability of Children's Reference Materials

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