Indexing

2

Automatic indexing versus manual indexing

Abstract:

This chapter gives an overview of the arguments used in the discussion between the supporters of manual indexing and those of automatic indexing. The arguments against manual indexing are that it is slow, expensive, not detailed enough, that it does not lead to better retrieval, that it is outdated and document centred and that there is no consistency between indexers. The arguments against automatic indexing are that it does not provide an overview of the index terms, that it does not solve the problem of synonyms and variants, that it does not take the context into account, that it does not allow browsing related terms, that orthography may be an impediment and, finally, that it is too ...