the representation of the document will be based on stable characteristics of the document that are not likely to change over time and that the indexing therefore will be of lasting value
is difficult to predict how the document will be used in the future and it is therefore better to index the document according to what it actually contains.
the document-centered approach does not address the inherent subjective interpretative nature of indexing and fails to show how the indexer might establish the subject matter independently of any context or use.
Domain-centered indexing starts with an analysis of the domain, then moves on to analyze the needs of the users, determine the indexers' perspectives and roles, and lastly analyze the document in the context of the domain and the users' needs
The assumption in the domain-centered approach to indexing is that the subject matter and meaning of the documents can be determined only in the context of an understanding of the domain. In other words, a domain and the users' needs frame the meaning and subject matter of documents through the users' discourse in the domain. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that indexers understand the domain, the users' roles and interests in the domain, and critically analyze their own roles as indexers before a document is analyzed for its subject matter.