The article «Experience Applying the Cumulus Program in the Course on Specialized Information Sources in Science and Technology» aims to present to the scientific community the importance of controlling scientific information sources, establishing an appropriate classification, and conducting a comprehensive description of these sources for subsequent retrieval. This process was carried out using the «Cumulus» application, specifically designed for this purpose and to study the cataloged information sources. The research results reveal how many corporate, geographic, and editorial authorities are among the top research centers, as identified in the Webometrics Ranking of Research Centers. Additionally, the sources are thematically classified according to the UNESCO Thesaurus for Science and Technology, yielding up to 128 distinct categories for classifying the analyzed sources. Furthermore, the typology of information sources is evaluated based on their primary, secondary, or tertiary level; their documentary or institutional origin; linguistic coverage; web typology; content type; and pagerank, among many other aspects.

Reference

  • BLÁZQUEZ OCHANDO, M. 2011. Experience applying the Cumulus program in the course Specialized Information Sources in Science and Technology. In: Documentación de las Ciencias de la Información. Vol. 34, pp. 307-317. Available at: http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/DCIN/article/view/36460

Abstract

The Cumulus software, specialized in the management of scientific and technical information sources, has been extensively used and tested by students in the course Specialized Information Sources in Science and Technology during the 2009/2010 academic year. Quantitative and qualitative results were obtained from a sample of international research centers, which were thoroughly studied with the assistance of the application. Some of the conclusions highlight the importance of using programs that assist librarians in the analysis and processing of scientific information sources beyond mere bibliographic referencing. Furthermore, the data reveal the dynamism and continuous evolution of scientific sources, their typology, thematic classification, and relevance.

Keywords

Information sources, Cumulus, scientific documentation, automation, international research centers, quantitative analysis

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http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/DCIN/article/download/36460/35308