Program, Volume 32, Number 4, October 1998Aslib Home Page

Vol 32, No 4, October 1998


ARTICLES


Writing abstracts for online databases: results of an investigation of database producers' guidelines

C.J. ARMSTRONG and A. WHEATLEY

Abstract

The article reports on one area of research in an eLib MODELS supporting study which had three investigative areas: an examination of current database producers' guidelines for their abstract writers, a brief survey of abstracts in some traditional online databases, and a detailed survey of abstracts from three types of electronic database (print-sourced online databases, Internet subject trees or directories, and Internet gateways). The examination of database producers' guidelines, reported here, gave a clear view of the intentions behind professionally produced traditional (printed index based) database abstracts and provided a benchmark against which to judge the conclusions of the larger investigations into abstract style, readability and content. The article concludes with a summary of recommendations for abstract writers.

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