MONO91 Automatic Indexing chapter Mary Elizabeth Stevens National Bureau of Standards 1/ operations is "liable to continuous error", - while Baxendale takes a middle ground: "Thus far the role of the computer is chiefly that of research instrument; whether or not it can fully assume the task of indexing is still in doubt'1. 2/ 1.2 Scope of This Study In view of the continuing controversy over the feasibility and evaluation of automatic indexing techniques, a state-of-the-art survey and report is perhaps premature at this time. The topic is controversial on at least five grounds: First is the question, `1Can indexing be done by machine at all?" Next,"Is what can be done by machine properly termed `abstracting', `indexing1, or `classifying'?" The third moot point is "Is whatever can be done by machine good enough, acceptable, as good as, or better than the product of human operations?" The fourth and most critical question is `1How can we evaluate acceptability or comparability for any indexing process whatsoever, whether carried out by man or by machine or by machine-aided manual operations?" Finally, "If an indexing product is to be achieved by machine, can it be done by statistical means alone, or must syntactic, semantic and pragmatic considerations be brought to bear in the machine decision-making processes?" The heat of controversy over any of these five grounds of debate is almost inversely related to the availability of objectively validated evidence to which appeal might be made. Thus, the literature on the topic to date is typically colored by personal reactions both pro and con, and even the cynics rely more on subjective judgments and personal pre- ferences than on any substantial body of data. O'Connor cites typical claims of both pro- ponents and opponents of the feasibility of automatic indexing, and he comments on both, "I have seen no good evidence offered in support of such a conclusion." 3/ An impartial middle ground is offered by recognition that `1To define a process ordinarily thought to require human intellectual effort in such a way that it can be per- formed by a machine imposes a [OCRerr]igor and a discipline on the definition which itself is in- valuable to understanding the nature of the process".!/ Learning more about the indexing process itself, through experimentation with machines, will provide "results of general interest, not just to those optimistic about machine indexing experiments". 5/ In this sense, a state-of-the-art study is not premature. In this sense, therefore, we shall explore the five questions listed above in subsequent sections of this report. 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ Farradane, 1961, L193], p. 236. Baxendale, 1962 [42], p. 69. O'Connor, 1961 [447], pp[OCRerr]274 and 275. Swanson, 1962 [583], p. 288. Bohnert, 1962[69], p. 9. 10