Dynamics of DeCS updating
Since 1986, DeCS has been updated annually based on MeSH.
The annual update of DeCS means replacing one set of descriptors with another, more up-to-date set. Throughout the year, additions, corrections, and movements of terms in the database records are carried out until the final edition is completed.
The image below briefly illustrates the annual DeCS updating workflow.
The annual frequency of updates follows that of MeSH, which is the vocabulary from which DeCS originates. In the annual update, the vast majority of descriptor records are maintained, and new ones are added to reflect the scientific literature.
Types of interventions that may occur in the thesaurus:
- Adding new descriptor records
- Adding new non-preferred terms
- Deleting terms
- Modifying terms
- Moving terms between concepts
- Moving terms within the same concept
- Updating scope notes
The insertion of new non-preferred terms into existing records is the most frequent type of intervention.
Over the last 10 editions of DeCS, the average number of new descriptors inserted into the vocabulary, net of eliminated descriptors, has been 348 new records. The image below provides an overview of the amounts of inserted terms by edition.
Category: Vocabulary updates
