Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Medical subject headings versus American Psychological Association Index Terms: indexing eating disorders

  • Published:
Scientometrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To analyze the keywords used in articles published in eating disorder journals indexed in MEDLINE to determine their correspondence with the MeSH or the APA-Terms. Descriptive bibliometric study. We established three inclusion criteria: articles had to be original, to contain keywords, and to have been in the MEDLINE database in the last 5 years. 918 original with 1,868 different keywords were studied. Eight original articles (0.87 %) presented complete correspondence between the keywords used and the indexing terms. Of the keywords studied, 300 (16.06 %) coincided with MeSH and 366 (19.59 %) with APA-Terms. The comparison between keywords matching MeSH and those matching APA-Terms, we found significant differences indicating greater agreement with APA-Terms (p < 0.001). The weak agreement between keywords and indexing terms may hinder the cataloguing of eating disorder articles. The authors of these studies made greater use of keywords related to APA-Terms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chang, A. A., Heskett, K. M., & Davidson, T. M. (2006). Searching the literature using medical subject headings versus text word with PubMed. Laryngoscope, 116(2), 336–340. doi:10.1097/01.mlg.0000195371.72887.a2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman-Novakofski, K. (2011). Meshing with MeSH. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 43(2), 75. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2011.01.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, T. O. (1995). Plea to let each acronym be spelled out every time (PLEASE). European Heart Journal, 16(2), 292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, T. O. (2004). Medical abbreviations. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 97(11), 556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Das-Purkayastha, P., McLeod, K., & Canter, R. (2004). Specialist medical abbreviations as a foreign language. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 97(9), 456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Granda Orive, J. I. (2003). Acronyms: should we accept? Archivos de Bronconeumología, 39(6), 286–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golder, S., McIntosh, H. M., Duffy, S., & Glanville, J. (2006). Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and UK Cochrane Centre Search Filters Design Group Developing efficient search strategies to identify reports of adverse effects in MEDLINE and EMBASE. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 23(1), 3–12. doi:1471-1842.2006.00634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, G. (2000). Systems of Knowledge Organization for Digital Libraries: Beyond Traditional Authority Files. Washington DC, USA: Council on Library and Information Resources, The Digital Library Federation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenuwine, E. S., & Floyd, J. A. (2004). Comparison of Medical Subject Headings and text-word searches in MEDLINE to retrieve studies on sleep in healthy individuals. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 92(3), 349–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, J., Fransson, A., Brommels, M., Skår, J., & Lundkvista, I. (2006). Is it better or just the same? Article identification strategies impact bibliometric assessments. Scientometrics, 66(1), 183–197. doi:10.1007/s11192-006-0013-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanz-Valero, J., Guardiola-Wanden-Berghe, R., & Wanden-Berghe, C. (2011). Appropriateness and adequacy of the keywords listed in papers published in eating disorders journals indexed using the MEDLINE database. In G. D. Gargiulo & A. McEwan (Eds.), Advanced Biomedical Engineering (pp. 479–511). Rijeca: InTech.

    Google Scholar 

  • Senator, J., & Hong-Gee, K. (2010). Intellectual structure of biomedical informatics reflected in scholarly events. Scientometrics, 85(2), 541–551. doi:10.1007/s11192-010-0166-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slavic, A. (2007). On the nature and typology of documentary classifications and their use in a networked environment. El Profesional de la Información, 16(6), 580–589. doi:10.3145/epi.2007.nov.05.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomás-Castera, V., Sanz-Valero, J., Wanden-Berghe, C., Culebras, J. M., & Mel-CYTED, Red. (2009a). Visibility of the Latin American scientific production in nutrition: the importance of the keywords. Nutrición Hospitalaria, 24(2), 239–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomás-Castera, V., Sanz-Valero, J., Wanden-Berghe, C., & Landaeta, M. (2009b). Medical Subject Headings versus keywords on Nutrition: contribution for a correct indexing. Anales Venezolanos de Nutrición, 22(2), 90–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, A. B. (2006). SciFinder Scholar 2006: an empirical analysis of research topic query processing. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 46(2), 767–774. doi:10.1021/ci050481b.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Nursing, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, and History of Science, University of Alicante, Campus de Sant Vicent Del Raspeig. Apdo. Correos 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain

    Rocío Guardiola-Wanden-Berghe & Javier Sanz-Valero

  2. Department of Public Health, History of Science and Gynaecology, Miguel Hernández University, Alicante, Spain

    Javier Sanz-Valero

  3. Department of Pharmacy, University Cardenal Herrera-CEU, Elche, Spain

    Carmina Wanden-Berghe

Authors
  1. Rocío Guardiola-Wanden-Berghe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Javier Sanz-Valero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Carmina Wanden-Berghe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Javier Sanz-Valero.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Guardiola-Wanden-Berghe, R., Sanz-Valero, J. & Wanden-Berghe, C. Medical subject headings versus American Psychological Association Index Terms: indexing eating disorders. Scientometrics 94, 305–311 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0866-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0866-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation