Glossary of Library and Information Science - F

F

• field - an element of a database record. It contains one type of information and has a unique address. All or most other records in the database have a similar field. An example is the field "name".

• free-text search -

1. is a simple word or character search, usually with very few Boolean, proximity, or scope limiting options. It is simple and fast.

2. a search in which all the entries are freed from their original format of presentation. Text that originated in a journal article looks much the same as text that originated in a glossary or chat room.

3. the deliberate limiting of the scope of the search parameters to include only records that are available free of charge.

• full text database - a collection of records containing complete versions of the original source, rather than just bibliographies, abstracts, or abridgements. An example is JSTOR. A related concept is that of a full text search which searches only sources that are complete, and ignores those records that are mere abstracts or descriptors.