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How the FSTA Thesaurus and food science indexing improves research

How the FSTA Thesaurus and food science indexing improves research. What is a thesaurus?. ISO 25964, the international standard for information retrieval thesauri, defines a thesaurus as a:

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How the FSTA Thesaurus and food science indexing improves research

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  1. How the FSTA Thesaurus and food science indexing improves research

  2. What is a thesaurus? • ISO 25964, the international standard for information retrieval thesauri, defines a thesaurus as a: • ‘controlled and structured vocabulary in which concepts are represented by terms, organized so that relationships between concepts are made explicit, and preferred terms are accompanied by lead-in entries for synonyms or quasi-synonyms’

  3. FSTA Thesaurus – keywords • The FSTA Thesaurus is a list of all the keywords used in the index field of FSTA records and accompanying lead-in entries. The latest edition contains 10,777 terms • The controlled keywords are created and structured specifically with a food-centric data resource in mind so that they can enhance the content present in FSTA • Use of controlled keyword terms overcomes any variability in author terminology and scientific nomenclature • The expert-crafted thesaurus is regularly updated – new keywords are introduced and keyword context is changed in response to scientific innovation

  4. FSTA Thesaurus – hierarchies • The controlled keywords are structured into extensive relational and associative subject hierarchies. • The hierarchies control the context within which keywords with multiple meanings can be used in the index of FSTA records • These hierarchies are designed specifically to optimise information retrieval for those searching the scientific fields covered in FSTA, i.e. food science, food technology and food-related human nutrition, and the wide range of directly relevant associated disciplines • Accompanying information provided with the keywords, together with the hierarchical structure of the thesaurus, enables powerful searching based on the index

  5. FSTA Thesaurus – functionality • Using the thesaurus it is possible to: • Identify the correct terminology to use when searching for food science literature on FSTA (e.g. corn/maize, drinks/beverages) • Identify related terms and synonyms to improve the search output quality • Check the scope and history of term usage (e.g. when did Sulphur change to Sulfur) so that an appropriate search strategy can be constructed • Make searches more specific or more general by using appropriate narrow terms (NT) or broad terms (BT) within the hierarchical thesaurus structure • Perform comprehensive searches on wide-ranging subject areas with speed, ease and confidence

  6. FSTA Thesaurus – example: Salmon BT1 Oily fish BT2 Fish BT3 Animals BT3 Sea foods BT4 Aquatic foods BT5 Animal foods BT6 Foods NT1 Atlantic salmon NT2 Salmo salar NT1 Pacific salmon NT2 Cherry salmon NT3 Masu salmon NT2 Chinook salmon NT3 King salmon NT2 Chum salmon NT3 Keta salmon NT3 Oncorhynchus keta NT2 Coho salmon NT2 Pink salmon NT2 Sockeye salmon NT3 Red salmon NT1 Smoked salmon

  7. How we index to strengthen research • All the major concepts covered in a paper are identified by expert scientists • A balanced index is then produced using the most specific and appropriate controlled keywords sourced from the FSTA Thesaurus • Focus is given to the food products and the food-relevant aspects of the paper • Keywords are only selected when the relevant concept is integral to the paper. Keywords are not selected just on the basis of passing terminology present in the article abstract

  8. How we index to focus research • The thesaurus context is taken into account when keywords are selected in order to increase the relevance of the retrieved information for the food research community • Umbrella terms allow retrieval of important wide-ranging multidisciplinary areas such as food safety • Indexing of document types (e.g. Books, Patents, Reports, Standards) allows specific retrieval of records on these documents. • Trademarks and commercial names are indexed, when they are the focus of the paper

  9. Why we invest so much time and effort in the index and thesaurus • Use of controlled keyword terms – overcomes variability in author terminology and changes in scientific nomenclature providing a reliable approach for searching both the most up-to-the-minute data and across the >40-year-old archive • Greater precision when searching – non-relevant records can be filtered out automatically, saving time, effort and money • Greater reliability when conducting comprehensive searches – allows easier identification of all appropriate records, so information is not missed • Facilitates quick and easy access to the most relevant information on FSTA in the fields of food science, food technology and food-related human nutrition for all our users

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