The five‐axiom theory of indexing and information supply

Experience in chemical information has suggested a tentative theory that rests on five axioms: (1) Definability: The compilation of responses relevant to a topic can be delegated only to the extent to which the inquirer can define the topic in terms of concepts and concept relations. (2) Order: Any compilation of responses relevant to a topic is an order‐creating process. (3) Sufficient degree of order: The demands made on the degree of order increase as the size of the collection and/or the frequency of searches increases. (4) Representational predictability: The accuracy of any directed search for relevant texts (especially the recall ratio) depends on the predictability of the modes of expression for concepts and concept relations in the search file. (5) Representational fidelity: The accuracy of any directed search for relevant texts (especially the precision ratio) depends on the fidelity with which concepts and concept relations are expressed in the search file. The observance of these axioms assists in the design of information systems and imparts increased survival power to them. They are also helpful in the revision of existing systems that show signs of incipient weakness. Several useful principles, hitherto only intuitively conceived, receive axiomatic corroboration. This theory also contributes to the reconciliation of several opposing lines of thought that have hitherto appeared incompatible or even hostile to one another. Each of them is justifiable, but only under circumstances and requirements that are specific to the task to be solved by a particular information system.