An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Technical Report Abstracts and Other Experimental Variables on the Behavior of Information Users

Abstract

The field study (or 'natural experiment') was conducted in three military laboratories to determine what relationship there is between the presence or absence of an abstract and the time required to make, and 'correctness' of, the decision on how to dispose of a technical report or journal article which arrives at the desk of an individual scientist or engineer. It is concluded that the interrelation of a variety of variables must accounted for in greater detail before any strong statements concerning the effect of abstracts can be demonstrated. Whatever may be the function and effect of abstracts under laboratory conditions, in the normal, day-to-day field setting, the presence of an abstract does not appear to be a significant factor in the determination of what disposition to make of a document.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1971
Accession Number
AD0742303

Entities

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  • Charles W. N. Thompson

Organizations

  • Northwestern University

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  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

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  • Abstracts
  • Behavioral Research
  • Biomedical Research
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Field Conditions
  • Human Behavior
  • Illinois
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Information Retrieval
  • Information Science
  • Military Research
  • New York
  • Questionnaires
  • Scientists
  • Systems Engineering
  • Universities

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  • Educational Psychology
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