Profile Construction

The success of SDI service depends to a great extent on the construction of individual or group profiles. It may be stated that a search profile is a list of terms used for describing the user queries. In other words, a user profile is made up of technical term or terms significant to user's query. Whenever any user intends to avail the services of an SDI system, he/she is   requested to specify his/her field of interest in a narrative way in plain language, describing his/her subject interest in a detailed manner. It has been proved that it would, be very useful if the user also supplies some references to papers, journal articles, or reports, which he/she considers relevant to his/her area of work. The user may also furnish a list of significant terms which precisely define the subject of his/her interest. On the basis of the user's statements, the information professionals design and construct the individual search profiles for the users of the SDI system. 

The construction and revision of user profiles demands an intellectual effort from both the user and the information specialist or the librarian. The dialogue between the user and the information specialist is the first phase in the interaction of SDI system and its users. The different stages involved in the construction and monitoring of the user profiles are indicated by the flow chart.