Illustrated description of an interactive knowledge-based indexing system

Abstract

This report discusses the Indexing Aid Project for conducting research in interactive knowledge-based indexing of the medical literature. After providing an overview and background, we describe and illustrate the Indexing Aid System using an extended example, highlighting the knowledge-based capabilities of the system, namely, inheritance and internal retrieval, enforcement of restrictions, and other functions implemented by procedural attachments, which are characteristic of frame-based knowledge representation languages. A feature which generates reports for evaluating the system is also shown. The paper concludes with discussion of the research plan. The project is part of the Automated Classification and Retrieval Program at the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, the research and development arm of the National Library of Medicine.