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HIVEing: the effect of a semantic web technology on inter-indexer consistency

Hollie White (Michael J. Goodson Law Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA)
Craig Willis (Metadata Research Center and School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA)
Jane Greenberg (School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA)

Journal of Documentation

ISSN: 0022-0418

Article publication date: 6 May 2014

717

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the Helping Interdisciplinary Vocabulary Engineering (HIVE) system on the inter-indexer consistency of information professionals when assigning keywords to a scientific abstract. This study examined first, the inter-indexer consistency of potential HIVE users; second, the impact HIVE had on consistency; and third, challenges associated with using HIVE.

Design/methodology/approach

A within-subjects quasi-experimental research design was used for this study. Data were collected using a task-scenario based questionnaire. Analysis was performed on consistency results using Hooper's and Rolling's inter-indexer consistency measures. A series of t-tests was used to judge the significance between consistency measure results.

Findings

Results suggest that HIVE improves inter-indexing consistency. Working with HIVE increased consistency rates by 22 percent (Rolling's) and 25 percent (Hooper's) when selecting relevant terms from all vocabularies. A statistically significant difference exists between the assignment of free-text keywords and machine-aided keywords. Issues with homographs, disambiguation, vocabulary choice, and document structure were all identified as potential challenges.

Research limitations/implications

Research limitations for this study can be found in the small number of vocabularies used for the study. Future research will include implementing HIVE into the Dryad Repository and studying its application in a repository system.

Originality/value

This paper showcases several features used in HIVE system. By using traditional consistency measures to evaluate a semantic web technology, this paper emphasizes the link between traditional indexing and next generation machine-aided indexing (MAI) tools.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the members of the HIVE development team, the Dryad repository team and the Metadata Research Center for support and advice during the research process.

Citation

White, H., Willis, C. and Greenberg, J. (2014), "HIVEing: the effect of a semantic web technology on inter-indexer consistency", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 70 No. 3, pp. 307-329. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-07-2012-0083

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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