[en] We compare the results of the fixed-flavor scheme calculation of Laenen, Riemersma, Smith, and van Neerven with the variable-flavor scheme calculation of Aivazis, Collins, Olness, and Tung for the case of neutral-current (photon-mediated) heavy-flavor (charm and bottom) production. Specifically, we examine the features of both calculations throughout phase space and compare the structure function F₂(x,Q²). We also analyze the dependence of F₂ on the mass factorization scale μ. We find that the former is most applicable near threshold, while the latter works well for asymptotic Q². The validity of each calculation in the intermediate region is dependent upon the x and Q² values chosen

[en] Two existing calculation methods are compared. As expected from physical grounds, the next-to-leading-order fixed-flavor scheme calculation yields good results near threshold, while the leading-order variable-flavor scheme calculation works well for asymptotic Q². The quality of the calculations in the intermediate region is dependent upon the x and Q² values chosen. An accurate self-consistent QCD calculation over the entire range can be obtained by extending the variable-flavor scheme to next-to-leading-order. Recent work to carry out this calculation is described. Preliminary numerical results of this calculation are also presented for comparison. (author)