Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 09:20:33 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: joanne martinez Subject: Stopword Lists for Biomedical Domains ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Cross-posted to IRLIST, MEDLIB-L, BRS-L, IR-L, INDEX-L. Please excuse the duplication. Our research group is developing automatic thesauri for several genetics domains. We are in need of a stopword list specific for the biomedical sciences, most preferrably in electronic format. If you know of any such files, available either through the Internet or commercially, I would appreciate hearing from you. Please respond to the address below, not to the list. Thank you, Joanne Martinez School of Library Science University of Arizona Tucson, AZ jpmartin@ccit.arizona.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 08:49:45 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: VA Hendricks Subject: Charging for abstracting ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Help, please! I need some advice. I'm about to put together a proposal for a freelance job I've been asked to take on. The job is with a professional association, which wants me to write abstracts for about 300 scholarly articles and books. These abstracts will eventually be searched online free-text, so I know I'll have to word them carefully. My questions are: 1) How much do I charge for this abstracting work? Should I charge per hour? or per abstract? I haven't done abstracting in years, and when I did in the past I was rather slow, because I took pains to make sure they accurately represented the original work. (Quality was key to me, but not to my boss, who wanted quantity, and quick-&-dirty was fine with her...) I had originally mentioned a rate of $15/hr. to the project coordinator, but I only based that on my present salary. I worry that I will overcharge *because* I take a long time with each abstract. 2) How should I calculate the length of time an average abstract should take me? Incidentally, is a book harder to abstract than an article, generally? I have to get this proposal written this week. Any advice anyone can give me would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance to all who reply. Yours abstractly, Vicki Hendricks ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 14:04:48 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Kate McCain Subject: Re: Charging for abstracting In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 11 Aug 1993 08:49:45 ECT from ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I was just talking to one of my PhD students who is an abstractor/editor for Microcomputer Abstracts. My recollection of our conversation is that they pay by the abstract ($2.25) and that someone with practice could probably earn $14-15 per hour. BTW they have standard formats for many of the abstract categories -- e.g. product reviews, new product announcements, etc. Kate McCain "bibliometrics R us" mccainkw@duvm.ocs.drexel.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 14:05:21 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Carolyn Weaver Subject: Re: Charging for abstracting In-Reply-To: <9308111251.AA21836@carson.u.washington.edu> ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- If you want to CLEAR $15/hr, you need to add 35-50% more to cover benefits, taxes, etc. Most salaried employees are receiving AT LEAST 25% in untaxed benefits which the freelancer has to pick up on his/her own. Writer's Market lists current salary ranges for a lot of different publishing-related fields, including indexing. I don't know if abstrators are listed separately, and don't have my copy handy to check; but I recommend that all free-lancers check it annually to see how their rates compare with those of their peers. Carolyn Weaver cweaver@u.washington.edu Seattle ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 14:06:22 ECT Reply-To: prider@netlink.nix.com Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Pam Rider Organization: NIX - The Network Information eXchange, San Diego CA Subject: Re: Charging for abstracting In-Reply-To: ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Vicki. I reply because your dilemna is one I have been In. Having worked for a similar employer (caring more about quantity than quality, etc.) I, too, find it difficult to charge for my desire to be precise (I only index and copy edit). Is it possible for you to develop a fee based on the amount of words or pages of the material you are abstracting. Perhaps my method will clarify: I charge for indexing by the entry in the finished index and charge by the manuscript page for copy editing. Billing is easier to keep track of and if I spend more time per page than an employer might consider "unfeasible," I take the "fall" on payment. Best wishes -- INTERNET: prider@netlink.nix.com (Pam Rider) UUCP: ...!ryptyde!netlink!prider Network Information eXchange * Public Access in San Diego, CA (619) 453-1115 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 12:44:24 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Robert Lee Hadden, US Geological Survey Library" Subject: Re: Charging for abstracting ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Don't _undercharge_! When all else fails, you are doing something above and beyond your regular job, so you should charge more. One rule of thumb is to calculate your hourly wage, and multiply by 1.5, or in your case of $15.00 per hour, charge $22.50 per hour. Don't be defensive about being slow or careful. If the agency feels you are to slow, they will tell you. There is no reason to tell them first. As long as you are doing a good and professional job, there is no reason to be defensive or need to explain. If they cannot afford your rates, then you can negotiate. But _NEVER_ take less than your salary. If they cannot pay you what you are worth in your regular job, then give it up or do it for free or ask they donate your compensation to charity. But don't undercut the other indexers by willing to accept less than you are worth. If the job is worth doing, then it is worth fair compensation. If it isn't worth the cost of doing it, then it shouldn't be done to begin with. Good luck! lee hadden usgs library ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Help, please! I need some advice. I'm about to put together a proposal for a freelance job I've been asked to take on. The job is with a professional association, which wants me to write abstracts for about 300 scholarly articles and books. These abstracts will eventually be searched online free-text, so I know I'll have to word them carefully. My questions are: 1) How much do I charge for this abstracting work? Should I charge per hour? or per abstract? I haven't done abstracting in years, and when I did in the past I was rather slow, because I took pains to make sure they accurately represented the original work. (Quality was key to me, but not to my boss, who wanted quantity, and quick-&-dirty was fine with her...) I had originally mentioned a rate of $15/hr. to the project coordinator, but I only based that on my present salary. I worry that I will overcharge *because* I take a long time with each abstract. 2) How should I calculate the length of time an average abstract should take me? Incidentally, is a book harder to abstract than an article, generally? I have to get this proposal written this week. Any advice anyone can give me would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance to all who reply. Yours abstractly, Vicki Hendricks =========================================================================