Evaluating information retrieval tools
Task: Choose 3 information retrieval tools that you have used to search for information about Information Science/Information studies and how ideas from Information Science are being applied in the world. Introduction
Information retrieval can be defined as ‘the tracing and recovery of specific information from stored data’. In society we are presented with an array of information about almost any topic that comes to mind. These sources of information can come from books, journals, newspapers, the World Wide Web and many other places. It is clear to say that some sources are more reliable than others and it is our job to assess the information and decipher what we regard as relevant and what we wish to ignore. There are numerous ways to refine searches enabling one to retrieve relevant information; for example databases, portals and search engines. In this assignment I will be testing one of each of the mentioned retrieval tools and comment on their authority, efficiency, functionality and coverage.
In all my searches my aim is to find out how information science and management is used in industries and commerce in society today.
Business Source Complete: (A database)
The university library catalogue is a type of gateway and in order to refine searches we can use specific databases such as the Business Source Complete (BSC) to extract relevant information that we desire. The database offers over 1600 academic journals, covering a range of topics from economics to business to finance, and over 1600 full text trade journals and business magazines. It was the first database where one was able to search in order to find specific articles on subjects that they desired.
Authority
When carrying out a search the majority of the information that was needed/used was from academic journals and the occasional periodical. This proved that the majority of information gathered was reliable, as credible people have reviewed this it. A reason why I think that this tool has very strong aspects to it is mainly down to where it sources its information from. This can be deemed as important as a lot of information in the world wide web has been posted by amateurs who may be misinformed about the topic.
Coverage
Once one has carried out their search, there is a clear box on the left side of the screen where one can pick out particular criteria regarding coverage. With regards to the subject, one search gathered 10 different topics which instantly allowed for the disregarding of unnecessary information.
Using this tool one is able to narrow down their search of information by choosing from a range of years in which the information was published. It is believed that this is a very important aspect when searching for information as it is easy to facilitate and use. It offers a range of nearly 50 years, so making comparisons with the past, (and in this case how information management is being used much more frequently and in more instances) can be done. However a limitation of this tool is that you are only able to search a range by year and not by month. Therefore, when carrying out a search regarding an issue that alters weekly (e.g. the stock market) it may prove to be harder. This is when one may consider that the use of an alternative database would be more appropriate. There is an icon that allows one to select whether they require full text articles, scholarly journals (peer reviewed) and references available. Again a variety of sections of coverage is available with this tool.
There is a clearly labelled heading ‘geography’ in this tool bar which offers you coverage of sources from different places around the world. For this search 9 were available. This meant that the search for the application of how information management is applied in commerce and industry in specific areas of the world was carried out without difficulty.
Overall the coverage of this tool was very impressive as