Designing and developing a bibliographic database involves several steps, including determining project requirements, choosing a topic, performing background research, creating a research question or thesis, searching for information regarding the topic, evaluating the information, and synthesizing the information.
Determining Project Requirements
The first step in designing a bibliographic database is to determine the project requirements. This involves understanding the scope of the database, the type of information it will contain, and the users it will serve. For instance, a bibliographic database may cover a wide range of topics or focus on one academic field like computer science.
Choosing a Topic
The topic of the database should be chosen based on the project requirements. The topic will guide the type of bibliographic records that will be included in the database. Bibliographic databases typically contain records that describe articles, conference papers, and sometimes complete monographs.
Performing Background Research
Background research is necessary to understand the existing literature on the chosen topic. This helps in identifying the key sources of information that should be included in the database. General reference databases can be useful for locating background information on the research topic.
Creating a Research Question or Thesis
The research question or thesis guides the design and development of the database. It should answer the research question and explain how or why.
Searching for Information
The next step is to search for information regarding the topic. This involves identifying and collecting relevant bibliographic records. A bibliographic record contains a uniform description of a specific document, usually retrievable by author, title, subject heading (descriptor), or keyword(s), and usually containing citations and abstracts or summaries of the documents.
Evaluating the Information
The collected information should be evaluated for relevance and quality. This ensures that the database contains high-quality, relevant information that meets the needs of its users.
Synthesizing the Information
Finally, the information is synthesized and organized into the database. This involves creating a structured, searchable collection of bibliographic records. Many bibliographic databases have evolved into digital libraries, providing the full text of the organized contents.
In conclusion, the design and development of a bibliographic database is a complex process that requires careful planning, research, and organization. It involves understanding the project requirements, choosing a topic, conducting background research, creating a research question or thesis, searching for and evaluating information, and synthesizing and organizing the information into a searchable database.
