Indexing Annotations

Annotations are provided for the guidance of indexers, catalogers, and searchers. These are not definitions but instructions in how to use the selected headings in a brief form. Notes on the use of subheadings with specific headings are also supplied since subheading usage is an important feature of indexing. Indexers are restricted to the use of heading/subheading combinations shown in the Topical Subheadings by Allowable Category list. Following are brief descriptions of various annotation features.

1. Catalogers' notes, supplied by the Catalog Section, appear after indexers' notes, separated from them by a visible space in order to stand out. These refer to previous practice (before 2000). The current practice followed beginning in 2000 is described in Cataloging Practices.

2. References to the Indexing Manual show the sections or section numbers of the revised manual published in 1983 and of its annual supplements.

3. References to a Technical Note include the TN number followed by a brief statement of its content. The Technical Notes and supplements are distributed to all indexers as they are published. Announcements regarding their wider availability are made in the NLM Technical Bulletin.

4. When a surgical procedure is available in MeSH, the organ-term note suggests its use:

   Larynx
   

   /surg: probably LARYNGECTOMY
   

5. When an inflammatory disease is available in MeSH, the organ term and precoordinated organ/disease term suggest its use:

   Testis
   

   inflammation = ORCHITIS
   

6. Infection or infestation terms are noted at the organism terms:

   Plasmodium falciparum
   

   infection = MALARIA, FALCIPARUM
   

7. Most histological types of neoplasms give instructions on organ/neoplasm precoordinates, and organ/neoplasm precoordinates remind the user to coordinate with the histological type:

   Adenocarcinoma
   

   /blood supply /chem /second /secret /ultrastruct permitted; coord IM with precoord organ/neopl term (IM)
   

   Duodenal Neoplasms
   

   /blood supply /chem /second /secret /ultrastruct permitted; coord IM with histol type of neopl (IM)
   

8. Check tags are annotated with Indexing Manual references and other pertinent information:

   Case Report
   

   check tag only: do not confuse with REVIEW OF REPORTED CASES, a type of review article; any article containing a case report is checked here: policy: Manual 18.11+; permitted for vet case rep but not for historical articles; case reports as a form of writing or their value is indexed under MEDICAL RECORDS or specific records term (IM)
   

9. Action groups are annotated with reference to the target of their action:

   Antifungal Agents
   

   consider also FUNGI /drug eff & MYCOSES /drug ther or pertinent specific antifungal agent
   

10. Notes warning of potential confusions or mistypings are given:

    Islets of Langerhans
    

    do not confuse with LANGERHANS CELLS (skin)
    

11. All elements are annotated with their atomic weight and that of their isotopes and radioisotopes:

    Cadmium
    

    Cd-114; Cd-106, 108, 110-113, 116 = CADMIUM (IM) + ISOTOPES (NIM); Cd- 103-105, 107, 109, 115, 117-119 = CADMIUM RADIOISOTOPES (IM)
    

12. Corporate names are annotated for catalogers advising them to use the name as it appears in the catalogers' Name Authority File (NAF):

    Catalog: use NAF entry

13. Topical subheadings used by indexers and catalogers are annotated to identify them as "subhead only," to give their scope, a reference to the Indexing Manual, the short form used by indexers, catalogers, and searchers, the date it entered the system, and instructions for searchers.

The abbreviations and symbols appear below in the order in which they appear in the annotations.

Abbreviation	Meaning
GEN	General only; prefer the specific
SPEC	Specialty only; do not use as a coordinate
SPEC qualif	Use only those subheadings permitted with specialties
IM	Usually IM
NIM	Usually NIM
IM or NIM	Coordinate as IM or NIM depending upon the slant or emphasis of the text
no qualif	No subheading permitted
only /	Use only the subheadings noted
do not use /	Do not use the subheadings noted
TN	Technical Note with number cited
/permitted	Subheadings available to the category are permitted by programming but special emphasis is given to the permitted subheadings specified by this annotation
Manual	Indexing Manual with section cited
+ with number	As 23.26+, a section of the Indexing Manual with all dependent sub-sections, as 23.26.1, 23.26.2, etc.
policy	General indexing policy
DF:	Data Form or short form used in data creation; may not work in retrieval systems
coord	Coordination or coordinate with
Cat	Category
=	Equals or is synonym for
CATALOG:	Catalogers' notes
/blood-csf-urine	The subheadings /blood /cerebrospinal fluid /urine

Symbol	Restriction
A11 qualif (CELLS LIST or SUBCELLULAR ELEMENTS LIST)	With subcategory A11 (Cells) use only: /chemistry /classification /cytology /drug effects /enzymology /immunology /metabolism /microbiology /parasitology /pathology /physiology /radiation effects /radiography /radionuclide imaging /secretion /transplantation /ultrasonography /ultrastructure /virology
D25-26 qualif	With subcategories D25 (Biomedical and Dental Materials) and D26 (Specialty Chemicals and Products) use only: /administration & dosage /adverse effects /analysis /chemical synthesis /chemistry /classification /contraindications /diagnostic use /economics /history /isolation & purification /metabolism (but with caution) /pharmacokinetics /pharmacology /poisoning /radiation effects /standards /supply & distribution /therapeutic use /toxicity
SPEC qualif	With specialty headings, use only: /classification /economics /education /history /instrumentation /legislation & jurisprudence /manpower /methods /organization & administration /standards /trends

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