Related Experiment Videos
Structured abstracts in MEDLINE, 1989-1991
A M Harbourt1, L S Knecht, B L Humphreys
1Computer Science Branch, Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA.
Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
|April 1, 1995
Summary
Structured abstracts in biomedical journals increased significantly between 1989-1991. These abstracts offered more access points for retrieval, though journal format variations may complicate their use.
Area of Science:
- Bibliometrics
- Medical Informatics
- Scientific Communication
Background:
- Structured abstracts offer a standardized format for scientific articles.
- Their utility in enhancing bibliographic retrieval requires investigation.
- MEDLINE is a primary database for biomedical literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize structured abstracts in MEDLINE-indexed journals.
- To explore the potential of structured abstracts in improving bibliographic retrieval.
Main Methods:
- Examined structured abstracts in MEDLINE (1989-1991).
- Analyzed characteristics of records with structured abstracts.
- Reviewed editorial policies of six selected journals.
- Sampled twenty-five structured abstracts.
Main Results:
- Substantial increase in structured abstracts and publishing journals from 1989-1991.
- Articles with structured abstracts had more access points (MeSH terms, text words).
- Structured abstracts were longer than average MEDLINE abstracts.
Conclusions:
- Structured abstracts may correlate with increased indexing depth (MeSH terms).
- Variations in journal-specific formats could hinder bibliographic retrieval.
- Further research is needed on the quality and utility of structured abstracts.