ABSTRACT
The specificity of a retrieval language vocabulary depends on the ability of the indexing terms to express the subject in depth and in detail. Specificity has an important influence on the performance of the language, as it determines the accuracy with which concepts may be defined and consequently the facility to exclude unwanted documents. In Figure 2 the specificity increases from indexing language A to indexing language D. In system A the concept ‘Brown bread’ will be indexed by the term ‘Food’, and in B by ‘Bakery products’, in system C by ‘Bread’ and in D by the identical term ‘Brown bread’. If a lead-in is included in the entry vocabulary to the broader term under which the term is subsumed in A, B and C, there is an equal chance of recalling documents indexed on these topics in all four systems. Vocabulary specificity https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">
Indexing language
Indexing language
Indexing language
Indexing language
A
B
C
D
Food
Food
Food
Food
Bakery Products
Bakery Products
Bakery Products
Bread
Bread
(By form)
Bread Loaves
Bread Rolls
(By ingredient)
→ Brown Bread White Bread Starch Reduced Bread
System A—Brown Bread, USE Food System B—Brown Bread, USE Bakery Products System C—Brown Bread, USE Bread System D—Brown Bread