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This article focuses on standards of writing abstracts. The growing volume of scholarly, scientific technical, and other informational and instructional documents makes it increasingly important that the basic content of each document be quickly and accurately identifiable both by readers of the primary literature and by users of secondary services. An abstract should be as informative as is permitted by the type and style of the document; that is, it should present as much as possible of the quantitative and/or qualitative information contained in the document.

The article discusses about a simple technique for evaluating information analysis methods and personnel. The assumptions and reasoning underlying the technique's procedures are also detailed. It is pointed out that, if the technique can be trusted, it can be applied to a number of important problems. Whether or not the technique can be trusted depends upon the validity of the assumptions upon which it is based. An empirical test of the technique is suggested, to obtain evidence as to whether it can be the substantial aid to administrative action, which it promises to be. It states that an information analyst is defined as any person who indexes, catalogs, codes or classifies the subject content of a body of literature. This definition is intended to include library catalogers, classifiers, the employees of indexing services, and subject bibliographers, and to exclude abstractors and reviewers.