A user interface for multiple retrieval systems

In this paper we present the results of an experiment to help professional scientists and engineers undertake their own literature searches using a number of the major online bibliographic databases. The end‐users, or experimental subjects, are already familiar with Deco, the text storage and retrieval system used by Unilever, but have little or no knowledge of the major online database systems, such as Orbit, Dialog, BRS, etc. The paper describes the design and development of a front‐end system which simplifies the ‘logon’ procedure and converts Deco format commands into any of the other required languages. The users can thus search any of the major online databases just as if they were searching their own files on their local system. Many of the existing front‐end systems restrict the user by either providing only a limited menu of functions, removing the interactive nature of searching or supporting only a single host, or sometimes all three. We believe that the results of this experiment show that, in this particular environment, the new interface allows users to make more effective use of major online databases. This is a revised version of a paper which was presented to the 10th Cranfield Conference on Mechanised Information Transfer in July 1986.