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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Webb, Kathleen Ann
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 1994
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED378973
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author Webb, Kathleen Ann
author_facet Webb, Kathleen Ann
Webb, Kathleen Ann
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents A Study of the Description and Evaluation of Indexes in Biographies Written for Children. Webb, Kathleen Ann Biographies Children Childrens Literature Content Analysis Evaluation Methods Indexes Indexing Information Retrieval Statistical Analysis Subject Index Terms Vocabulary An indexer faces unique challenges when the genre consists of biographical material written for children. The narrative prose style demands vividly descriptive indexing terms, but the youthful audience requires a control of vocabulary and a clear, simple presentation. The literature of library and information science yields a few sources on the indexing of biographies or nonfiction for children, but no source addresses this specific combination. In this research, content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to determine the occurrence and nature of indexes in recommended biographies written for children. Of 300 recommended biographies, about 40% were found to contain indexes, and most dated from recent years. The indexes were evaluated using an adapted checklist that followed the guidelines of the American Society of Indexers. Based on this data, the researcher recommends techniques to improve the quality of indexing in this genre. Indexes should be used consistently for books of more than 75 pages, divided into chapters, and are not heavily illustrated. A variety of indexing techniques should be incorporated, and the typography should be clear, with uncrowded format. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/SLD)
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_ED378973
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 1994
record_format eric
spellingShingle A Study of the Description and Evaluation of Indexes in Biographies Written for Children.
Webb, Kathleen Ann
Biographies
Children
Childrens Literature
Content Analysis
Evaluation Methods
Indexes
Indexing
Information Retrieval
Statistical Analysis
Subject Index Terms
Vocabulary
A Study of the Description and Evaluation of Indexes in Biographies Written for Children. Webb, Kathleen Ann Biographies Children Childrens Literature Content Analysis Evaluation Methods Indexes Indexing Information Retrieval Statistical Analysis Subject Index Terms Vocabulary An indexer faces unique challenges when the genre consists of biographical material written for children. The narrative prose style demands vividly descriptive indexing terms, but the youthful audience requires a control of vocabulary and a clear, simple presentation. The literature of library and information science yields a few sources on the indexing of biographies or nonfiction for children, but no source addresses this specific combination. In this research, content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to determine the occurrence and nature of indexes in recommended biographies written for children. Of 300 recommended biographies, about 40% were found to contain indexes, and most dated from recent years. The indexes were evaluated using an adapted checklist that followed the guidelines of the American Society of Indexers. Based on this data, the researcher recommends techniques to improve the quality of indexing in this genre. Indexes should be used consistently for books of more than 75 pages, divided into chapters, and are not heavily illustrated. A variety of indexing techniques should be incorporated, and the typography should be clear, with uncrowded format. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/SLD)
title A Study of the Description and Evaluation of Indexes in Biographies Written for Children.
topic Biographies
Children
Childrens Literature
Content Analysis
Evaluation Methods
Indexes
Indexing
Information Retrieval
Statistical Analysis
Subject Index Terms
Vocabulary
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED378973