Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kodak.com!news-nysernet-16.sprintlink.net!206.229.87.26!news-east.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news-backup-east.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!207.207.0.26!nntp.giganews.com!nntp.primenet.com!news1.mpcs.com!news.iinet.net.au!not-for-mail From: david@cn.net.au (David Novak) Newsgroups: sci.research,comp.infosystems.www.announce,comp.answers,sci.answers,news.answers Subject: Information Research FAQ v.2.6 (Part 4/9) Followup-To: poster Date: 12 May 1998 00:00:00 GMT Organization: iiNet Technologies Lines: 429 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Message-ID: <6je22p$554$5@news.iinet.net.au> NNTP-Posting-Host: classic25.nv.iinet.net.au Summary: Information Research FAQ: Resources, Tools & Training Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu sci.research:17559 comp.infosystems.www.announce:22074 comp.answers:31285 sci.answers:8268 news.answers:130012 Archive-name: internet/info-research-faq/part4 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: May 12 1998 URL: http://cn.net.au Copyright: (c) 1998 David Novak Maintainer: David Novak Information Research FAQ (Part 4/9) This section of the FAQ contains a collection of heavily researched articles. These articles are also available from the Spire Project (including http://cn.net.au), & from our free shareware (see http://cn.net.au/tools/infokey.html). You may wish, for convenience, to reach for the webpage version of this information. If you have suggestions, leads or corrections, please do inform us: david@cn.net.au Note also, the disclaimer statement on Part 1 of this FAQ. Contents ----- Part 4 ----- 16. Information Research: Commercial Databases 17. Information Research: Database Retailers 18. Information Research: The Information Market ___________________________________________________ 16. Information Research: Commercial Databases From the cn.net.au research site http://cn.net.au/articles/database.html Commercial databases are collections of information presented electronically. Databases range in size from simple books made searchable, to several billion records in the largest news databases. The database industry is obscure in the way the information is distributed. Costs are highly variable and difficult to determine. Products with the same name may contain different information. Databases are frequently combined into larger collections of databases, (in turn called databases,) often several times. An individual magazine or database likely exists within several larger databases and several collections of databases. The only constant appears to be the successful marketing of certain databases which become important; not necessarily the best, nor the most valuable, but the market-successful databases become the definitive sources. This is not a particularly satisfying state of affairs, but this is how it stands at this time. More discussion on the database industry can be found in the FAQ[1] and the training[2] section. Free Databases There are a selection of alternatively funded commercial quality databases which are freely available over the Internet. [3] MOCAT, UKOP and AGIP are the US, UK and Australian government publication databases. See Finding Books[4] for more. Many Library Catalogues, including the Library of Congress, The British Library, and Australian Library Catalogue are available online. See Finding a Library[5]article for more. The US National Library of Medicine (NLM[6]) Delivers free access to Medline[7]. This is a vital tool, but includes a fulltext database (AIDSLINE) and a few lesser databases[8]. For Current research, the CRIS[9] database can be found free online.Similiarly, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) publishes research abstracts[10] to their research projects in energy sciences and technology. [11] Information on specific databases, ERIC[12] (Education Resources), EDGAR[13] (SEC Company data), and Thomas[14] (US Legislative Information), are also available online. [15] ECHO has a database called I'M Guide which is really a directory of the European Information Industry. Yes, this is a telnet session, and can be painfully slow, but in time this will migrate to the web. Connect, type 'ECHO' as the password at the first prompt, then 1 for english, the 2 for the I'M GUIDE (database). There are other databases on ECHO, though you are unlikely to need them. Here is the description file[16]. Searching is accomplished using their Common Command Language (CCL). Start with 'Find ' then 'Show' to retrieve your results. For more, read the pdf manual on CCL[17]. [18] BIOGRAPHY(r) Online Database[18] is online thanks to www.biography.com[19] This includes 15000+ biographical abstracts - but most are really really short. [20] GEAC, a database wholesaler here in Australia, provides free access to one free SilverPlatter database each month. Finding All Databases There are many more databases than those in the directory of major database marketers. These databases are typically tightly focused on particular topics. If they are not found compiled into larger databases (frequently the case), then you will find them here. [21] Gales Directory of Databases Volume 1 (online databases) and Volume 2 (CD-rom, Diskette, Magnetic Tape, and other database formats): the definitive listing of databases in the world. [22] Bibliodata publishes Fulltext Sources Online[22] (dewey: Q025.04 FUL), a reverse directory for the full text databases found in about ten of the largest database retailers only (and a US bias). Use this book to find online sources for a particular periodical, newspaper, newsletter or TV/Radio transcript. For example, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts is available on Datastar, Dialog, FT Profile, Nexis & Westlaw. The Directory of Australian and New Zealand Databases published by the Australian Database Development Association (ADDA). I would expect similar associations and directories to exist in other countries. Commercial Database Information In the confusion which is the database industry, the most important selection tool is the database description. These are factual, accurate descriptions of what each database includes and how they can be searched. Many of the database descriptions are online. To facilitate finding them, we created this database of database descriptions. It works best if you know the name of the database, but we did index the first few paragraphs describing the database too. [23] Truncation is assumed. A single boolean term, 'and or not' is available. Proximity and brackets not yet installed. Closing Note Databases are complex structures based on the Inverted Index and on a range of search technologies including boolean terms, truncation, complex limits, descriptors, filters, ranking and more. Certainly the technology is becoming easier to use (look at the Reuters Business Briefing for state of the art), but there is still much to learn. An experienced searcher will locate far better results than an inexperienced searcher. However, an uninvolved searcher has a handicap, both in price and language. Sometimes it is wise to get help searching a database, sometimes it is not. The Advanced Research Training[24] article has more on this topic This post comes from The cn.net.au research site, a site devoted to information research. Advice welcome : email david@cn.net.au (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au) --- footnotes for the above article --- [1] http://cn.net.au/tools/faq.html [2] http://cn.net.au/training/index.html [3] http://cn.net.au/articles/books.html#gov [4] http://cn.net.au/articles/books.html#gov [5] http://cn.net.au/articles/library.html [6] http://www.nlm.nih.gov [7] http://wwwindex.nlm.nih.gov/databases/freemedl.html [8] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/online_databases.html [9] http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=cris [10] http://www.doe.gov/bridge/ [11] http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=freebees [12] http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=eric [13] http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=edgar [14] http://thomas.loc.gov/ [15] http://www2.echo.lu/echo/ [16] http://www2.echo.lu/echo/databases/en/dbindex.html [17] http://www2.echo.lu/echo/ccl/en/ccl.html [18] http://www.biography.com/find/find.html [19] http://www.biography.com [20] http://webspirs.geac.com.au/FreeTrial/dbofmth.cgi [21] http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=gale+database [22] http://www.bibliodata.com/fso/fsodata.html [23] http://cn.net.au/tools/note03.html [24] http://cn.net.au/tools/index.html ___________________________________________________ 17. Information Research: The Information Market From the cn.net.au research site http://cn.net.au/articles/i_market.html Beyond the large commercial database retail giants, there are vast arrays of businesses seeking to help you accomplish world-class research. Little information about these businesses leaks beyond the industry. For clarity, I have divided these organizations into two streams... Products and Services of primary interest to information brokers and libraries, found in the Research as a Discipline[1] article. Products and Services intended for consumers appear here. Commercial Database Retailers These organizations devote their effort at bringing commercial database information to individuals. Dialog, Datastar, Infomart, Lexis-Nexis and others will assist you to access information only available through commercial databases. [2] Two of our articles, Database Retailers[3], and Commercial Databases[4] will link you to the information you need. Current News and Current Awareness If you want to know of new articles and news important to you as it is reported, then there are a selection of services available: news by email, news by newsgroup, news by periodic automated database search, and other novel approaches. Costs for this service have fallen dramatically: effective solutions start at about US$10/month and are not strictly dependent on range & quality of information. See the article, Newswires & News Databases for descriptions, samples and costs. Information Brokers There is a whole industry of specialized researchers who will try to locate and compile research to your specifications. The backbone of this industry is payment for access to commercial databases, but different information brokers will gladly enter into any effort required to locate information. Information brokers, business librarians, legal researchers and others all use the tools described in this website, as a service for their clientele. [5] See the article, Research as a Discipline[6] Patent Assistance Patent searching is one of the more difficult branches of serious research. Some of the resources are free on the Internet, and commercial patent databases are readily available through the database retailers. If there is serious money at stake, you should consider There are patent lawyers for patent applications (beyond the scope of this website) but there are also ways to use patents as a research tool. Professional patent searchers can provide you with what is often the first appearance of expensive commercial research. This is both a source of cutting edge solutions and competitive intelligence. [7] We have recently refreshed the Searching Patents[8] article. Media Monitoring Certain firms solely focus on monitoring TV, radio & newspapers. These firms typically run teams who page through newspapers looking for matching articles, then post or fax to the client. New technologies are also advancing into this field. [9] Document Delivery Most local bookstores will gladly help you locate a book from their directories, but if you want a book from abroad, or an article from a journal or magazine, you will need the assistance of another set of information workers. Many of the document delivery firms are closely tied to information organizations. Closing Note Commercial information organizations are many and varied. I trust there is enough here to determine if one of these types of organizations can provide the solution you are looking for. This post comes from The cn.net.au research site, a site devoted to information research. Advice welcome : email david@cn.net.au (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au) --- footnotes for the above article --- [1] http://cn.net.au/articles/disciple.html [2] http://cn.net.au/articles/d_retail.html [3] http://cn.net.au/articles/d_retail.html [4] http://cn.net.au/articles/database.html [5] http://cn.net.au/articles/disciple.html [6] http://cn.net.au/articles/disciple.html [7] http://cn.net.au/articles/disciple.html [8] http://cn.net.au/articles/patents.html [9] http://www.emap.com/ons97/catalogues/product/welcome.shtml ___________________________________________________ 18. Information Research: Commercial Database Retailers From the cn.net.au research site http://cn.net.au/articles/d_retail.html You will access commercial databases through one of five basic sources.From a Commercial Database Retailer,From alternatively funded (free) Internet source (see Commercial Database[1]),Through a Library or other venue with a site license (see Database Site Licenses[2]),With the help of an Information Professional (searching for you),Or, directly from the source with a personal subscription (not common).This article addresses Commercial Database Retailers. Consider the Commercial Database Retailer as the department store of the information market. The industry is dominated by a handful of dedicated retailers like The Dialog Corporation, Lexis-Nexis, and InfoMart. Other retailers focus on certain types of databases. A collection of large online giants like AOL and Compuserve also retail commercial information. Retailers select the databases they carry, and enjoy mark-ups in the region of 300% to 400% from which they provide customer service, support and promotion. So very much service and promotion is provided that these retail giants hold a pivotal role in the distribution of commercial databases. The Dialog Corporation Dialog (http://www.dialog.com[3]) merged with Datastar a few years back to create the largest commercial retailer in the world. It has just been resold to a UK firm, M.A.I.D, to create The Dialog Corporation.. Documentation and access, however, remains largely distinct. [4] The Dialog website[4], their monthly newsletter (Chonolog), Dialog Database Descriptions[5] and Dialog telnet access point. Datastar (http://www.dialog.com[4]) specializes in European databases, and is the smaller retail service of Dialog-Datastar. [6] The Datastar website[4], the Datastar Database Descriptions[7] and Datastar telnet access point. Lexis-Nexis Lexis-Nexis (http://www.lexis-nexis.com[8]) has a focus and specialty on full text and legal research. Their databases are organized slightly differently than most, as 'Libraries', compilations of different databases on a particular topic or location. A look at one of their database descriptions will explain this in more detail. [8] The Lexis-Nexis website[8], the Lexis-Nexis Database Descriptions[9] and Lexis-Nexis telnet access point. Questel/Orbit Questel/Orbit (http://www.questel.orbit.com/[10]) specializes in patent and technical science databases. [10] The Questel/Orbit website, the Questel/Orbit Database Descriptions[11] and Questel/Orbit telnet access point. CDB Infotek CDB Infotek (http://www.cdb.com/public/[12]) specializes in databases of personal information, but for the US only. [12] The CDB Infotek website, the CDB Infotek Database Descriptions[13] and CDB Infotek telnet access point. Prices can be found on their website. Infomart Dialog (Canada) Infomart (Canada) (http://www.infomart.ca/[14]) has Canadian coverage as well as many of the more general databases. [14] The Infomart (Canada) website, the Infomart (Canada) Database Descriptions[15] and Infomart (Canada) telnet access [16] from this webpage. OCLC's EPIC Database Service OCLC's EPIC (http://epic.oclc.org[17]) is a smaller general collection of commercial databases. [17] The EPIC website, the EPIC Database Descriptions[18] and EPIC telnet access. Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service (http://bis.dowjones.com[19]) serve a single multi-database search which is very unique and elegant. This includes news and business databases. [19] The Dow Jones website. Dun & Bradstreet Dun & Bradstreet (http://www.dbisna.com/global/menu.htm[20]) serves up business databases and their own credit reports. [21] The Dun & Bradstreet website. WestLaw WestLaw (http://www.westpub.com[22]) is dedicated to legal databases, and is a direct competitor to Lexis of Lexis-Nexis. [22] The WestLaw website. FT Profile FT Profile (http://www.info.ft.com[23]) is the online information retail wing of Financial Times (UK). [24] FT Profile Database Descriptions. Closing Note The commercial database industry is slowly moving towards the Internet as the preferred delivery vehicle. Considerable changes are coming too - not the least a tumble in the price of information. I've written more in the FAQ chapter 32[25]. There are more database retailers than these, and you will find them through the Gale Directory of Databases Vol 1. or through our Information Industry Directory[26] article. This post comes from The cn.net.au research site, a site devoted to information research. Advice welcome : email david@cn.net.au (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au) --- footnotes for the above article --- [1] http://cn.net.au/articles/database.html [2] http://cn.net.au/articles/site_l.html [3] http://www.dialog.com/ [4] http://www.dialog.com [5] http://www.krinfo.com/dialog/databases/netscape1.1/blf.html#Contents [6] http://www.krinfo.ch/ [7] http://www.krinfo.ch/krinfo/products/datastar/ds.htm [8] http://www.lexis-nexis.com [9] http://www.lexis-nexis.com/lncc/sources/libcont.html [10] http://www.questel.orbit.com/ [11] http://www.questel.orbit.com/online/srgorbit.html [12] http://www.cdb.com/public/ [13] http://www.cdb.com/public/products/application.html [14] http://www.infomart.ca/ [15] http://www.infomart.ca/blueshee/dblist.htm [16] http://www.infomart.ca/telnet/telnet.htm [17] http://epic.oclc.org [18] http://www.oclc.org/oclc/epic/dbase.htm [19] http://bis.dowjones.com [20] http://www.dbisna.com/global/menu.htm [21] http://www.dbisna.com [22] http://www.westpub.com [23] http://www.info.ft.com [24] http://www.info.ft.com/online/profile/data/filelist.html [25] http://cn.net.au/tools/faq.html#32 [26] http://cn.net.au/articles/iid.html ___________________________________________________ This document continues as Part 5/9. __________________________________________________ Copyright (c) 1998 by David Novak, all rights reserved. This FAQ may be posted to any USENET newsgroup, on-line service, website, or BBS as long as it is posted unaltered in its entirety including this copyright statement. This FAQ may not be included in commercial collections or compilations without express permission from the author. Further permission requests please to david@cn.net.au ----------------------------------- David Novak - david@cn.net.au