Making better KWOC indexes even better

In an earlier article (The Electronic Library, April, 1985) a description is given of a method of making a KWOC index from article or document titles with a computer program which enables an indexer to combine words from the title in any way required to form indexing terms. Two versions of the program are described, an interactive one and one which compiles a KWOC index from a file of prepared data. The method has the drawback common to all KWOC indexes that the words in the title have to be used in the form in which they occur and this leads to certain shortcomings in the index such as a multiplicity of forms for what is the same term and the use of comprehensible but unconventional forms of a term. This article discusses these shortcomings and then describes the modifications made to the interactive version of the program which allow an indexer to edit the terms chosen as the index is being compiled so that consistency in the form of the terms is achieved and accepted conventions are observed. Modifications which effect the same improvements have been made to the other version of the program and these are also described. Examples of the use of both these new versions of the program are included.