Subject: Information Research FAQ v.2.6 (Part 3/9)
From: [email-masked] (David Novak)
Date: 12 May 1998 00:00:00 GMT
Newsgroups: sci.research,comp.infosystems.www.announce,comp.answers,sci.answers,news.answers

Archive-name: internet/info-research-faq/part3
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: May 12 1998
URL: http://cn.net.au
Copyright: (c) 1998 David Novak
Maintainer: David Novak <[email-masked]> 

                        Information Research FAQ     (Part 3/9)

    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:
    [email-masked]  Note also, the disclaimer statement on Part 1 of this
    FAQ.

                                Contents 

    		----- Part 3 -----
     11. Information Research: Searching Patents
     12. Information Research: Government Resources
     13. Information Research: Zines, Magazines & Journals
     14. Information Research: Newswires & News Databases
     15. Information Research: Special Interest Groups

    ___________________________________________________

 11.       Information Research: Searching Patents
               From the cn.net.au research site
               http://cn.net.au/articles/patents.html

     A patent is a disclosure of certain facts about a commercially
    important invention in exchange for certain rights to exploit the
    invention. This is a little simple, but explains why patents are
    factual, unique from other research resources, and a little vague in
    certain specifics.
    (see a sample Australian[1] and US patent[2], and a brief
    description[3].)

    This article first addresses the most useful free databases, then
    describes the national patent agency resources, the commercial patent
    databases, then other commercial services. At the end of this article,
    we include descriptions of patent classification and insight into patent
    search strategy.

     Free Patent Databases  
    These databases are freely available online.
    [4] The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO[5])  provides a US Patent
    Bibliographic database at http://patents.uspto.gov/[4] with full use of
    fields, date and abstract text searching. Choose between their boolean
    search[6], advanced (field) search[7] or by US patent number[8]. They
    also maintain a fulltext [US] Aids Patent Database and other resources.
    [59] The IBM's Patent Server is a public service providing a different
    patent database[59] of US Patent abstracts. The IBM service is similar
    but different from the USPTO service - certainly not less powerful.
    [9] The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO[10]) maintains the
    Canadian Patent Bibliographic Database[11] which extends from 89 to the
    present. Abstracts are not provided. Descriptive info is here[12].
    [13] The Japanese Patent Office has a searchable database of Japanese
    patent abstracts[13], which includes the patent number, title, inventor,
    company, and abstract of the patent.

    There are more free patent databases - but each is limited and not
    completely research-worthy. Perhaps the best (of the almost databases)
    is the Internet Patent Search System[14]. Gregory Aharonian (remember
    [email-masked]?) currently delivers US Patent titles retrieved by
    class/subclass. He also delivers Patent abstract retrieval using patent
    numbers (but currently from 1981 to 1989). As you now know,
    patent.uspto.gov also delivers abstract retrieval, but I like the more
    minimal title lists. (see US Patent Classification[15])

    Gregory also publishes a free newsletter[16]  "daily news service
    dealing with information about the patenting world" and archives past
    issues[17].

    Patent Libraries are an important and cost-effective patent resource.

    Australia  
    IP Australia (http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au[18]) (Formerly the
    Australian Industrial Property Organisation (AIPO)) has a patent library
    in each state capital[19]. Each library provides free access to the APAS
    database (Australian Patent Abstract Search) and includes a complete
    microfiche copy of all Australian patents and a the Australian Official
    Journal of Patents, Trademarks & Designs (the official Australian patent
    gazette).

    Most offices also hold US Patents on microfiche!, so the free US patent
    databases above will also interest you. Staff will help you use the APAS
    database, arranged for free text searching & International Patent
    Classification.
    [19] One particularly useful service is the delivery of copies of many
    foreign patents for AU$15. You will need the patent number, country and
    title for this.

    United States  
    The US Patent and Trade Mark Organization (USPTO[5]) has the Patent and
    Trademark Depository Library Program (PTDL's[20]) - which places the
    CASSIS database (The USPTO patent abstract database on CD-rom) and US
    patents around the US. Here is a list of sites[21], and a clickable
    map[22].

    Further, the USPTO has placed a bibliographical database online.   The
    USPTO provides a US Patent Bibliographic database online[4] with full
    use of fields, date and abstract text searching. Choose between their
    boolean search[6], advanced (field) search[7] or by US patent number[8].
    The IBM's Patent Server provides a different patent database[59] of US
    Patent abstracts.

    [8]  If you have the US patent #, retrieve the abstract from the
    USPTO[23]:
    [24] There are further resources[25] on US Patent Classification, such
    as retrieval of patent data by class/subclass.
    [26] US patent libraries also hold the Official Gazette of the U.S.
    Patent and Trademark Office, The US Official Gazette. Importantly, the
    gazette, from 1995-98, is fully online[26], and searchable.

    United Kingdom  
    The [UK] Patent Office (http://www.patent.gov.uk[27]) provides for the
    Patents Information Network (PIN[28]) which hosts patent information in
    the UK. This page includes a clickable map[28].
    [29] The British Library is one source with further information
    online[29] and some patent services.

    Canada  
    The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) (http://cipo.gc.ca[30])
    produces the Canadian Patent Index (CPI). They also publish The Patent
    Office Record, Canada's official register.
    [9] CIPO maintains a free Canadian Patent Bibliographic Database[11]
    which extends from 89 to the present. Abstracts are not provided.
    Descriptive info is here[12].
    [31] See The Canadian Patent Index Manual[31] and a few search hints[32]
    kept separate, both thanks to Patscan at the University of British
    Columbia.

    Other Countries  
    There are many more national patent agencies.  Intitut National de la
    Propriete Industrielle[68] [France]
    World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)[33]
    European Patent Office[34]

    If you need to find other sites, consider reviewing: this list[35] by IP
    Australia, the USPTO list[36], Questel-Orbit's list[37], ~dgw[38], &
    ~rgruner[39].
    CSIRO keeps an (old?) list of addresses for European Patent
    Libraries[40]

    Patent Classification
    Each country has a distinct numbering scheme: US patents are assigned a
    consecutive patent number (currently in the 5 millions) while Australian
    patents have an alphanumeral which includes the year.

    Above the numbering system, we have the International Patent
    Classification (IPC), by the World Intellectual Property Organization
    (WIPO[33]). This system provides an alphanumeral which definitively
    classifies all patents by form or function. This allows us to locate
    patents which are similar in form or function. More on this follows[41].

    US Patents do not use the IPC, but instead the US Patent Classification
    System (very similar to the IPC in many ways). Again, more on this
    follows[42].

    One of the most invaluable resources in serious patent research is
    access to several of the very large commercial patent databases.

     Commercial Patent Databases  
    Lexis-Nexis (http://www.lexis-nexis.com[8]) retails The Patent and
    Trademark Library[43] [of databases]. Thanks to Patscan (University of
    British Columbia), we also a guide to searching patents on
    Lexis-Nexis[44].
    The Dialog Corporation (http://www.dialog.com[4]) retails a collection
    of patent databases including:
    Derwent World Patents Index[45] [Files 351,352,280]
    INPADOC[46]
    CLAIMS/U.S. PATENTS[47] [Files 340,341,942]
    EUROPEAN PATENTS FULLTEXT[48] [FILE 348]
    and others
    Questel-Orbit (http://www.questel.orbit.com[100]) also retails patent
    databases, but we have not explored this venue yet.
    CAS/STN (http://www.cas.org[26]) retails a collection of patent
    databases including:
    Chemical Patents Plus[49] for U.S. Chemical patents

    In addition to the database retailers and producers, there is a lively
    industry of patent services.

    Patent Libraries : One source of patent assistance is, of course, the
    distributed patent libraries in each country. In addition to assistance
    with lodging patent documents, each library provides free access to
    bibliographical databases, and in the case of Australia, full text US
    and Australian patents on microfiche. IP Australia will also, for AU$15,
    retrieve most full patents from other countries (given a patent number,
    country & title).

    PATSCAN (http://www.library.ubc.ca/patscan[50]) within the University of
    British Columbia, provides patent search and retrieval services through
    databases like MicroPatent, the European Patent Office and many other
    databases.

    QPAT (http://www.qpat.com[51]) offers full text patent searching for
    paying subscribers and free front page information of all U.S. patents
    issued since 1974 for people who register.

    MicroPatent (http://www.micropat.com[52]) offers limited recent patent
    searching and downloading of patent images for a fee. They have a
    registration system for the free service.

    The European Patent Register
    (http://www.epo.co.at/epo/epidos/epr.htm[53]) provides fee services for
    European patents

    The Shadow Patent Office (http://www.spo.eds.com/patent.html[54]) allows      
    you to browse recent (last year or so) patents for free and provides an
    email search service. For more into, send help to
    [email-masked].

    Derwent Scientific and Patent Information (http://www.derwent.co.uk) is
    a prominent publisher of Patent and scientific information including
    commercial databases and microfiche.

    Closing Note
    Until recently, the legal profession has had a complete monopoly on
    patent work. As you can see, this need no longer be the case. Casual
    researchers will find the free patent databases easy to use, and more
    experienced researchers should not be dissuaded from reaching for the
    commercial databases or patent libraries themselves. The very large
    commercial databases, like Inpadoc, are particularly easy to use.

    Of course, there are occasions when patent searches are critical, and
    experts should be sought. Certainly legal assistance is required if you
    are preparing to lodge your own patent, but patent data can also be used
    as a source of information just like an article search or a newspaper
    search. Lets now look at further resources.

    Further Resources
    Frequently Asked Questions about Patent Law[55] by the USPTO.

    There are many associations active in patent law such as the [US]
    National Association of Patent Practitioners[56] or The [UK] Chartered
    Institute of Patent Agents[57]. More are listed in the Questel/Orbit
    list of patent resources[37].

    If you are looking for patent links, consider: Patents on the
    Internet[38] by David Waring, or the Questel/Orbit List of Patent
    Resources[37]. The real good link pages are emerging from the many
    national patent agencies aggressively linking to commercial resources.
    Visit the Australian[58] and US[36] link pages. Yahoo also has a
    category for Patent Information[59].

    Lastly, consider patent mailing lists, newsletters and two newsgroups
    (comp.patents & misc.int-property).

    International Patent Classification

    Thanks to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the
    International Patent Classification  works as a universal classification
    for patents. Started in 1975, updated periodically, currently we have
    the Sixth Edition (1994).

    Each code describes a specific form or function for a patent, and may
    include references to other  codes of similar form or function. The
    whole system is highly specific and logical, where each  patent belongs
    in only one box. Think of this as the dewey Decimal System for Patents.

    Section, Class & Group. The International Patent Classification looks
    like this:
    The first letter is the section - one of eight broad categories labeled
    A through G. A represents  Human Necessities. B covers Transport.

    Each section is divided into Classes. Each class includes two numbers.
    In addition, each class is  divided into subclasses, the letters which
    follow the first number.

    Each subclass is then divided into groups and subgroups. The number
    before the slash is the  group, the number after the slash is the
    subgroup. Subgroups only have two digits, with further  numbers
    considered as resting behind a decimal point: 3/46 then 3/464, then
    3/47.

    Thus A 47 J 27/09 includes the safety device on your rice cooker and B
    63 G 11/00 covers your various aircraft carriers.

    The IPC system is fully described in these published directories:  The
    Official Catchword Index by World Intellectual Property Organization.
    International Patent Classification : Guide, Survey of Classes and
    Summary of Main Groups
    International Patent Classification : Guide
    International Patent Classification : Section G  - Physics

    Note: The International Patent Classification includes plenty of
    internal references - indicating that this  group is similar to another
    group, or that motorized boats take precedence over boat function. These
    internal references are important to effectively searching databases.
    There is more to the IPC, and we strongly recommend you read the
    Introductory Manual to the International Patent Classification (IPC)[60]
    found on the WIPO website.

    US. Patent Classification

    US Patents are classified with 400+ main classes and thousands of
    subclasses. Sound similar to the International Patent Classification? It
    is. US patents are also numbered sequentially.

    This means you can find US patents:   by full text searching through the
    USPTO database CASSIS (found at all patent libraries. by bibliographic &
    abstract text searching online through the USPTO or IBM Patent Library.
    by US Patent number by US Patent Classification class & subclass - for a
    list of all similar patents by an effective combination search (see
    patent research strategy) by the searching recent notices in the
    Official Gazette... available online.   The USPTO allows you to search
    or browse the US Manual of Classification[4] online. The Internet Patent
    Search System[61] lets you to browse US Patent titles by class/subclass.

    A little more information can be found with the Patent Guide to using
    CASSIS[62], at the University of Michigan or  A Simplified Guide To
    Searching U.S. Patents[63] thanks to Patscan at the University of
    British Columbia.

    Patent Search Strategies

    Here are the avenues open to you:  Full text searching and retrieval
    through a commercial database. Free bibliographic & abstract searching
    online followed by selective patent perusal/ordering. Paging manually
    through the relevant official gazette (US gazette is searchable).

    Retrieval of the titles & abstracts within appropriate class/subclass
    then selective review and patent perusal/ordering.   This last avenue is
    particularly resourceful and swift. Start by reaching for The Official
    Catchword Index, a book by World Intellectual Property Organization and
    locating possible class/subclasses which will interest you.
    Alternatively, you could word-search a patent database and note all the
    class/subclasses found. Lastly, you can always reach for the three
    separate printed guides which lead you from Section to subclass.

    The result should be a collection of class/subclasses which may interest
    you.

    With this information, you can now browse all the patents in the
    class/subclass. This process will help you locate all the patent which
    may interest you since patent classification is more reliable than free
    text search. (Note, both British and American spelling appears in patent
    databases.) This also allows you to quickly review the patents in other
    countries.

    If you are undertaking a novelty search - is a patent sufficiently
    unique from other existing patents - then you must review more than one
    country. There can be a significant delay before patent applications
    reach other countries without affecting the protection. If you are
    seeking patent information... as suggested on the IP Australia website,
    the Australia only accounts for 7% of the world's patents.

    Patent search strategy is further discussed in the Introductory Manual
    to the International Patent Classification (IPC)[60] found on the WIPO
    website. You may also wish to reach Searching for patents[64] from the
    University of Michigan, and Patents[65] by Simon Fraser University
    Libraries.

    This post comes from The cn.net.au research site,
    a site devoted to information research.
    Advice welcome : email [email-masked]
    (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)

 --- footnotes for the above article ---
    [1]  http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/fun/patents/04/fun_eng.htm
    [2]  http://aids.uspto.gov/cgi-bin/ilink4?INDEX+1+USP+5510240+F
    [3]  http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tpd/patents/patents.htm
    [4]  http://patents.uspto.gov/
    [5]  http://www.uspto.gov/
    [6]  http://patents.uspto.gov/access/search-bool.html
    [7]  http://patents.uspto.gov/access/search-adv.html
    [8]  http://patents.uspto.gov/access/search-num.html
    [9]  http://strategis.ix.gx.xa/cgi-bin/patent/searche.pl
    [10]  http://cipo.gc.ca/
    [11]  http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/cgi-bin/patent/searche.pl
    [12]  http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_innov/patent/engdoc/cover.html
    [13]  http://www2.jpo-miti.go.jp/default.htm
    [14]  http://sunsite.unc.edu/patents/intropat.html
    [15]  http://cn.net.au/articles/patents.html#USPC
    [16]  http://sunsite.unc.edu/patents/ipnsinfo.html
    [17]  http://sunsite.unc.edu/patents/document.html
    [18]  http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/
    [19]  http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/contact.htm
    [20]  http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/ptdl/index.html
    [21]  http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/ptdl/ptdlib.htm
    [22]  http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/ptdl/map2.htm
    [23]  http://patents.uspto.gov
    [24]  http://cn.net.au/articles/patents.html#USPC
    [25]  http://cn.net.au/articles/patents.html#USPC
    [26]  http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/
    [27]  http://www.patent.gov.uk
    [28]  http://www.bl.uk/services/sris/pinmenu.html
    [29]  http://www.bl.uk/services/sris/patents.html
    [30]  http://cipo.gc.ca
    [31]  http://www.patscan.ubc.ca/patmanl.html
    [32]  http://www.patscan.ubc.ca/hints.html
    [33]  http://www.wipo.org
    [34]  http://www.european-patent-office.org
    [35]  http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/links.htm#osipoffices
    [36]  http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/other.html
    [37]  http://www.questel.orbit.com/readings/patguide.html
    [38]  http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dgw/patent.htm
    [39]  http://www.law.vill.edu/~rgruner/patent5.htm#Agencies
    [40]  http://www.cis.csiro.au/cis/lib/patlibs.html
    [41]  http://cn.net.au/articles/patents.html#IPC
    [42]  http://cn.net.au/articles/patents.html#USPC
    [43]  http://www.lexisnexis.com/lncc/sources/libcont/lexpat.html
    [44]  http://www.library.ubc.ca/patscan/lexis.html
    [45]  http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0351.html
    [46]  http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0345.html
    [47]  http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0340.html
    [48]  http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0348.html
    [49]  http://casweb.cas.org/chempatplus/
    [50]  http://www.library.ubc.ca/patscan
    [51]  http://www.qpat.com
    [52]  http://www.micropat.com
    [53]  http://www.epo.co.at/epo/epidos/epr.htm
    [54]  http://www.spo.eds.com/patent.html
    [55]  http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/faq.html
    [56]  http://www.napp.org
    [57]  http://www.cipa.org.uk/cipa/
    [58]  http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/links.htm
    [59]  http://www.yahoo.com/Government/Law/Intellectual_Property/Patents/
    [60]  http://www.wipo.org/eng/general/ipc/manual/
    [61]  http://sunsite.unc.edu/patents/intropat.html#Manual
    [62]  http://www.ummu.umich.edu/library/PTO/CASSIS.html
    [63]  http://www.library.ubc.ca/patscan/patsrch2.html
    [64]  http://www.ummu.umich.edu/library/PTO/patsearch.html
    [65]  http://www.lib.sfu.ca/kiosk/nelles/patents.htm
    ___________________________________________________

 12.       Information Research: Government Resources
               From the cn.net.au research site
               http://cn.net.au/articles/gov.html

    We pay a high price in both direct and indirect taxes for our
    government. These are intelligent people, paid to be informed.
    Government experts and documents and thus generally detailed, factual
    and reliable[1] ... and helpful.

    Government Websites 
    [47] Foreign Government Resources on the Web[47]. Thanks to the
    University of Michigan Documents Center, we now have a direct way to
    locate entry points to governments around the world!
    [2] This alternative site, from the University of Southern California, 
    lists international government entry points[2].
    [3] Chiefs of State[45] and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments, 
    courtesy of the CIA.

     US Government  
    There are no certain ways of locating resources by the US government,
    but there are definitely some brilliant tools to search parts of the
    government documents.
    [5]  Monthly Catalog of US Government Publications (MOCAT[5]) (1994+)
 
    Use ADJ AND OR NOT must be capitalized, ú * for stem ú ".." for phrases.
    MOCAT is from the U.S. Government Printing Office[8]. They have Improved
    Professional Search Options[7] and help files[6].
    [14] Thomas[14], as in Thomas Jefferson, holds [US] Legislative
    information on the Internet. Visit this site for a quick search of the
    full text of bills before congress, the house...
    [4] GovBot[4], from the Small Business Advisor[5] but originating from
    the Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval is a search engine of a
    great number of US government webpages. This site has other searchable
    fields[6] in addition to the options here.
      
    [7] Fedworld[7] is a fine place to start if you are surfing.		

     Australian Government  

    [8][9] Australian Government Index of Publications (AGIP 1992+)
    from AusInfo[10] (formerly the AGPS).There is an AGIP description[9] of
    the file here, but start here[8]. AGIP books can be ordered through
    AusInfo, which has a store in each Australian Capital.
    The Guide to Australian Government Departments helps to know which
    government  organization has authority on an issue. There are several
    ways to learn... A book in the  library, One of two Web Sites, or some
    strange little search engine called Wombat.
    Australian Government Web Sites

    The National Library Australia has a Government Website[8] Page, a list
    of other guides[9] to the AU gov, and the list to Federal Government
    Departments[10].
    Official State Entry Points:
    WA[11] - SA[12] - NT[13] - TAS[14] - VIC[15] - NSW[16] - ACT[17] -
    QLD[18]  State Government Agencies

    WA[19] - SA[20] - NT[21] - TAS[14] - VIC[22] - NSW[23] - ACT[24] -
    QLD[25]

     United Nations  
    [26] The United Nations[27] also works for us. They are prolific
    publishers on all manner of international issues, their primary sources
    available through United Nations Depository Libraries and secondary
    (sales) documents more ubiquitous. We can get an approximate search of
    UN sales documents with LOCIS, and Unions is the Internet search engine
    of UN webpages. If you have the time, read our United Nations
    Information[28] article, which discusses this further. Ms Bushra Jaswal,
    a UN Librarian in Pakistan, also publishes really good guidance on her
    website[29].

    Freedom of Information 
    Freedom of Information (FOI) Legislation secures you and I the right to
    view most documents produced in the running of our government. A very
    useful resource for investigative jounalism, FOI requests can come from
    anyone.

    FOI legislation is not universal, and many of the under-developed
    countries of the world have no such allowance to watch the government.
    However, where it does exist, it can be a simple and friendly process.
    An effective step is to speak directly to the nominated FOI officer for
    the government agency involved. There are also FOI guides, some online,
    which you can find with a search engine.
    [30] The Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF[31]) maintains an FOI
    archive[30], which also includes a little bit on the UK and Australia.
    [32] The Society of Professional Journalists also maintains an FOI
    Resource centre[32]

    Comment on Reliability
    Government reliability actually needs some clarifying. For some time
    now, I have heard repeated rumours that in several countries, important
    national statistics can and are being fudged. I am not talking about
    changing the definition of unemployment, but something more serious.
    Keep this in mind. I personally find government publications are prone
    to factual presentation, but occasionally have difficulties with
    political bias when it comes to conclusions. I dare not give examples,
    but perhaps the safe ground in both is a modicum of scepticism and a
    willingness to untangle the statistics yourself.

    This post comes from The cn.net.au research site,
    a site devoted to information research.
    Advice welcome : email [email-masked]
    (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)

 --- footnotes for the above article ---
    [1]  http://cn.net.au/articles/gov.html#reliable
    [2]  http://www.usc.edu/Library/GovDocs/foreign_govt.html
    [3]  http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/chiefs-toc-view.html
    [4]  http://www.business.gov/Search_Online.html
    [5]  http://www.business.gov/index.html
    [6]  http://www.business.gov/Search.html
    [7]  http://www.fedworld.gov/
    [8]  http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/gov/
    [9]  http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/gov/other.html
    [10]  http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/gov/contact.html
    [11]  http://www.wa.gov.au/
    [12]  http://www.sacentral.sa.gov.au/
    [13]  http://www.nt.gov.au/
    [14]  http://www.tased.edu.au/tasonline/0subject/govt.htm#common
    [15]  http://www.vic.gov.au/
    [16]  http://www.nsw.gov.au
    [17]  http://www.act.gov.au/
    [18]  http://www.qld.gov.au/
    [19]  http://www.wa.gov.au/agencies.html
    [20]  http://www.sacentral.sa.gov.au/agencies/atoz.htm
    [21]  http://www.nt.gov.au/agents.shtml
    [22]  http://www.vic.gov.au/stategov/departments.html
    [23]  http://203.102.130.82/
    [24]  http://www.dpa.act.gov.au/ag/act-department.html
    [25]  http://www.qgd.qld.gov.au/departments.html
    [26]  http://cn.net.au/articles/un.html
    [27]  http://www.un.org/
    [28]  http://cn.net.au/articles/un.html
    [29]  http://www.un.org.pk/UNPVL.html
    [30]  http://www.eff.org/pub/Activism/FOIA/
    [31]  http://www.eff.org
    [32]  http://spj.org/foia/index.htm
    ___________________________________________________

 13.       Information Research: Zines, Magazines & Journals
               From the cn.net.au research site
               http://cn.net.au/articles/period.html

    Zines, Magazines, Journals and Newsletters; each provide the valuable
    services of quality control, editorial input, and focus. Newsprint, is
    dealt with in a separate article, as is the task of finding articles[1].
    This article addresses the task of finding periodicals.

    Most often you will search for articles through an index or commercial
    database. An alternative approach uses periodicals as a research venue.
    Locate a topic-specific periodical and you have a collection of
    topic-specific information.

     Zines on the Internet  
    There are actually fewer zines than you may expect, and some are not
    noticeably different from webpages. Some are well-developed, expertly
    edited and well worth your attention.
    [2] John Labovitz created the definitive E-Zine-list, and has further
    improved this list by offering a title list[3], and an even better
    keyword/subject list[4]. As of Dec 19th 1997, John lists 2573 zines.
    [5][6]  A brilliant solution to finding new zines (or other Internet
    periodicals) is the search the past discussion of NewJour[5], a mailing
    list dedicated to new journals.
        search for a phrase search for all words search for any words    
    [7] One of the original Electronic Periodical Lists is now published as
    the ARL Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters, 6th Edition by
    The Association of Research Libraries. This directory is online[7], but
    as there is no search engine, the site is best if you know a zine title.
    [8][9] Certain Universities have very good lists of electronic
    periodicals, but unfortunately include journals available under license,
    so not available publicly. The University of Southern California's
    Electronic Journals Collection[8], and the University of Washington
    Ejournals[9] both have good lists.
    Electronic journals can also be found with commercial organizations who
    sell journal subscriptions to libraries. These sites are still small,
    listing only well established zines: E.journal[10] from E.doc and the
    CIC Electronic Journal Collection[11] (also available by topic[12]).

     Primary Periodical directories.  
    If you are searching for a periodical, look for three published
    directories and one online resources. I strongly recommend against
    searching other online sources unless you know the title.
    Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory by Bowker, is a giant
    international directory of Periodicals now in its 34th edition. (dewey:
    Q011.34 ULR)
    EBSCO's Serial Directory, is another giant international directory of
    Periodicals. (dewey: Q011.34)

    Newsletters in Print by Gale Research, is an annual featuring 11,000+
    newsletters. While there are broad subject categories, use the real
    subject index at the back of the book. (dewey: Q071.3 NEW).
    [13]  The Library of Congress (LOCIS) serial collection is free to
    search online. The collection holds 800,000+ serials, but still this is
    not so brilliant as one may expect. The experimental search system[13]
    allows for limiting to serials only, and the results page includes links
    to other publications by the same author. This search here is only a
    taste, so use the  experimental search[13] for more refined options.
             
    [23] Another brilliant periodical list is the COPAC periodical
    search[23]. Copac offers unified access to the catalogues of some of the
    largest university research libraries in the UK and Ireland.

     Occasional Periodical References  
    Occasionally, you may find these sources helpful. These are not
    definitive complete lists.
    [14] Subject Access to Australian Journals is an effort at an Australian
    periodical list thanks to the National Library of Australia.
    [15] Libraries hold large collections of periodicals, and you may be
    able to search your favourite library collection through the Internet.
    This link is to our article Finding a Library[16].

    Closing Note 
    Occasionally you will wish to subscribe to a promising periodical and
    read page by page. This works well in organizations where periodicals
    can be circulated among interested parties, passively picking up
    information. Most research, however, is an active process.

    An alternative is to browse the table of contents pages of appropriate
    periodicals. Automated delivery of contents pages is emerging as a
    viable electronic service, though this too is more surfing or browsing
    than research.

    Bibliographic and full text databases can also be used to identify
    promising periodicals if for no other reason than the frequency of
    interesting titles alerts you to their existence.

    This post comes from The cn.net.au research site,
    a site devoted to information research.
    Advice welcome : email [email-masked]
    (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)

 --- footnotes for the above article ---
    [1]  http://cn.net.au/articles/articles.html
    [2]  http://www.meer.net/~johnl/e-zine-list/
    [3]  http://www.meer.net/~johnl/e-zine-list/zines/
    [4]  http://www.meer.net/~johnl/e-zine-list/keywords/
    [5]  http://gort.ucsd.edu/newjour/
    [6]  http://gort.ucsd.edu/newjour/search.html
    [7]  http://www.arl.org/scomm/edir/index.html
    [8]  http://www-lib.usc.edu/Info/Acqui/Ejournals/
    [9]  http://www.lib.washington.edu/libinfo/ejournals/
    [10]  http://www.edoc.com/ejournal/
    [11]  http://ejournals.cic.net
    [12]  http://ejournals.cic.net/toc.Topic.html
    [13]  http://lcweb2.loc.gov/resdev/ess/booksquery2a.html
    [14]  http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/ausejour/
    [15]  http://cn.net.au/articles/library.html
    [16]  http://cn.net.au/articles/library.html
    ___________________________________________________

 14.       Information Research: Newswires and News Databases
               From the cn.net.au research site
               http://cn.net.au/articles/newswire.html

    News prepared by individual reporters is collected together by large
    news organizations, then delivered to other news organizations around
    the world. Your local news organization does not have a reporter in
    Iran, but rather buys the story off a newswire, then packages it in your
    evening news hour or morning newspaper.
    United Press International (UPI)[125]
    Reuters Global News[1]
    Agence France Presse[4] Associated Press[2]
    Xinhua
    and more

    These very large organizations make their information available to you
    in a variety of ways. News collects in large commercial databases of
    past news, some single source & other large multi-source databases. In
    addition, current news is incorporated into large multi-source systems
    delivered by email or newsgroups. Certain newswires are available online
    free of charge.

    There are also a range of focused newswires such as Newsbyte (computer
    issues), PR Newswire (product releases), and Middle Eastern newswires.
    Further newswires can be found at Yahoo[3] and our Information Industry
    Directory[4] article.

    I can think of four ways to use this information for research:
    1) As an alternative to your evening news or morning newspaper. Online
    information is available 24 hours a day, in more detail.

    2) Search past news to locate information unlikely to emerge in journals
    or magazines. News includes a great deal of local detail and personal
    information unlikely to be found elsewhere.

    3) As a historical record of events, perhaps the basis of a timeline.

    4) Current Awareness and Alerts so you articles come to you as they are
    reported. News stories by email will become a large industry over the
    next two years.

    Free and Almost Free Newswires 
    [5][6] Yahoo News[5] is leading this field with web delivery of current
    news from Reuters and what looks like excerpts from the UPI newswire.
    Yahoo also includes a free search for one weeks news.
    Further search assistance can be found here[6]. News is delivered as
    webpages, and organized into about 15 categories including such broad
    categories as Sports, Entertainment, Politics. Clearly, the search
    engine is the best aspect of this service.
    [7] Voice of America Newswire[8], during the days of iron curtain
    detente, VoA delivered US news and propaganda to oppressed people by
    radio broadcast. There was always an American bias (or rather,
    anti-dictator bias). Voice of America is still around, and their
    Newswire is free and available in a range of unlikely languages as well
    as English. Visit the index of current stories[7] and the description of
    the symbols used. A week of stories are available by gopher.
    [9] The Washington Post[9] offers their own news for searching, as well
    as the Associated Press wire, each searched separately for the past
    week.
    [10] Fox News presents current news online[10] (both current events and
    sport news). CNN news is another searchable site[11]. Both provide
    repackage some newswires and present them online. Pathfinder also
    presents the latest news[12], Reuters, I think. Use their searchable
    form[13] if you like. c|news (www.news.com[14]) is another.
    [14] Newsbytes[15] is a newswire solely on computer topics, computer,
    telecom and online world. Their websites includes a trial search engine
    and a description[16].

     Clarinet  
    Clarinet is not free, but you may already have 'free' access if your
    Internet Service Provider subscribed. This service is only available to
    ISPs, Corporations or Educational facilities and not for personal
    subscriptions. Clarinet news is delivered as newsgroups starting with
    'clari.' If you have seen clari newsgroups, then you have access.
    [27][15] Clarinet[16] - brings you UPI newswire, Reuters newswire,
    Newsbytes newswire and a few more[15]. The information is delivered in
    tightly focused newsgroups such as  clari.news.childrn+family (family
    issues, adoption & marriage), or clari.news.conflict.peace_talks. This
    almost makes up for the absence of a search feature. Here is a list of
    clari newsgroups[17] with descriptions, samples 1[18] & 2[19], and a
    list of subscribed ISPs[20]. If you are an ISP, subscription info is
    here[21], then email [email-masked] for a quote.

     Current, Multi-Source Delivery Options  
    Current news, typically the most recent 7 days, is available
    inexpensively through current information retailers. These services are
    distinct from database marketers or database developers in two ways;
    past information is not available, and costs are considerably less.
    [67] Inquisit News Service[67], is an agent-based service, where
    information which matches your search requirements is emailed to you.
    This covers a range of newswires and articles, and the system is
    extremely simple and flexible. Registration costs about US$13/month (as
    on webpage Nov15 '97) but better still, they have a two-week free trial!
    Also look at their overview[22], and source list.
    [23][24] NewsPage[23], a production of Individual Inc, includes access
    to newswires and articles organized into 2500 topics. Registration costs
    about US$7/month (as on webpage Nov15 '97) billed to a credit card. It
    is delivered as a personalized webpage.
    [25] Both the Electric Library[25] and Researchpaper.com[26] also
    provide current information, but primarily to the student market. I did
    not appreciate the advertising and the 14 day trial is not what it
    seems. Subscription costs about US$10/month or $60/year (as on webpage
    Nov15 '97).
    [14] The Wall Street Journal (http://www.wsj.com[119]) runs a
    subscription service of about $49/year to their archive and newspaper...

    Alerts and Current Awareness requests are built in to most information
    retrieval services. For example, though fairly complex, you can arrange
    for information to be emailed to you from Dialog databases by
    establishing an alert. Costs are considerably more than the three
    systems above, but then the information differs too. In the case of
    Dialog databases, costs can be found on the database descriptions.

     Commercial News Databases   
    [27] The Agence France[28] newswire and the Canada Newswire[29] are
    present in several databases as well as potentially from their source.
    Here is a list of newswire databases[27].
    [30] Large newsprint databases like Global Textline Database[30] and
    [US] National Newspaper Index include local news which never appears on
    newswires.
    [31] IAC also produces Newswire ASAP, citation and the complete text to
    11 international newswires.

     World News Connection  
    [90] The US Government markets a foreign news service, World News
    Connection[129], which is more expensive, but boasts the best coverage
    of non-U.S. media sources. There is an extensive array of translated and
    English-language news and information from distant newspapers, key press
    agencies & broadcasters. The database extends back two or more years.
    Costs start at US$25 for 7 days/US$65 for a month for an individual and
    for a little more, includes alert services. The description is
    online[130].

    Closing Note 
    Newswires and News Databases are just two elements of a large industry
    which extends to the your local newspaper and to further specialty
    databases. Most newspapers maintain their own local news database, and
    some make this available electronically. A manual clipping services[32]
    may also be the option - certain firms manually page through local
    papers looking for advertisements or articles.

    News articles are typically light and biased. In research, news often
    proves particularly useful for locating information about individuals or
    businesses. The sheer quantity of news in the large news databases makes
    it a useful resource to fall back on when the research topic is tightly
    focused. I once discovered an obscure scientist working in a unique
    field from a small 3 paragraph article in a local farmer's newspaper in
    England.

    This post comes from The cn.net.au research site,
    a site devoted to information research.
    Advice welcome : email [email-masked]
    (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)

 --- footnotes for the above article ---
    [1]  http://www.reuters.com/
    [2]  http://wire.ap.org/
    [3] 
    http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Companies/News_and_Media/News_
    Services/Newswires/
    [4]  http://cn.net.au/articles/iid.html
    [5]  http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/
    [6]  http://www.yahoo.com/docs/info/news_search_help.html
    [7]  http://www.ibb.gov/newswire/longindex.html
    [8]  http://www.voa.gov/
    [9]  http://www.washingtonpost.com/
    [10]  http://www.foxnews.com/
    [11]  http://www.cnn.com/
    [12]  http://www.pathfinder.com/news/latest/
    [13]  http://cgi.pathfinder.com/cgi-bin/p_search
    [14]  http://www.news.com/
    [15]  http://www.clari.net/aboutclarinews.html
    [16]  http://www.clari.net/
    [17]  http://www.clari.net/newfulldesc/newfulldescmenu.html
    [18]  http://www.clari.net/3-stories.shtml
    [19]  http://www.clari.net/tearsheets.html
    [20]  http://www.clari.net/iap/
    [21]  http://www.clari.net/pricmenu.html
    [22]  http://www.inquisit.com/aboutinquisit/overview.html
    [23]  http://www.newspage.com/
    [24]  http://www.newspage.com/np.help.html
    [25]  http://www.elibrary.com/
    [26]  http://www.researchpaper.com/
    [27]  http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=newswire
    [28]  http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=agence+france
    [29]  http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=canada+newswire
    [30]  http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=global+textline
    [31]  http://cn.net.au/cgi-bin/cd_find.pl?search=newswire+ASAP
    [32]  http://cn.net.au/articles/i_market.html
    ___________________________________________________

 15.       Information Research: Special Interest Groups
               From the cn.net.au research site
               http://cn.net.au/articles/sigs.html

    Associations, Newsgroups, Mailing Lists: Each are focal points of
    discussion, exchange of information and professional development.
    Collectively called Special Interest Groups (SIGs) these are brilliant
    research sites and a contact point for experts.

    The copyright mailing list is a group of more than 100 lawyers who focus
    on copyright. This list, and their Copyright FAQ, are the best resources
    on copyright law in the world; current, factual, and peer-reviewed. As a
    source of experts, I once found an accomplished but poorly published
    scientist from a message posted to a mailing list months before. The
    scientist was amazed.

    Locating Mailing Lists 
    [1] Tile.Net/Lists has both a searchable and directory style index to
    mailing lists. This has overtaken the others to become the best, most
    helpful place to start.
    [76][76] Liszt, the mailing list directory is the second place to look,
    and perhaps the definitive location. Again, there is a database and a
    subject directory.

    [2] Vivians' The List of Lists, a medium sized but more informative
    database of international lists.

    [3] The Directory of Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences, known
    also as the Kovacs Lists[3], is a long standing service in the world.
    This source also has a subject based listing[4].
 
    [5] Ozlists, a definitive but incomplete listing of Australian lists.
    There is a useful subject index too.
     
    [3][4] The Argus Clearinghouse

    Their subject oriented webpage[4] is our preferred tool here. Many
    describe important mailing lists.

    A combination search is usually most rewarding. Keep in mind some lists
    will have too little or too much traffic for your purpose. Find a list
    with a manageable number of messages and a wide enough membership. This
    takes a little effort in interrogating the list management software for
    the number of forum members, a look at past discussion, and a look for
    supporting websites.

    List software assistance is found at the bottom of this webpage[6].

    Research Related Lists 
    There are several lists you are far more likely to want to use.
    Business Librarians List - Buslib-l
    Government Documents List - Govdoc
    Australian Government Documents List
    These are usually willing to field polite focused questions about your
    research project. Buslib-l has graduated to a newsgroup too.

    Associations are more involved than their Internet companion, and are
    often more involved in paper publishing, conferences and statistics. The
    Australian Booksellers Association publishes the best benchmark
    statistics on this topic. This is to say, when approaching an
    association, consider asking for their publications list.

 Directory of Associations 
    The definitive way to find an association is through certain large
    national directories. We will show a couple ways to search for them on
    the Internet, but we strongly suggest you don't.
    The Directory of Australian Associations is the definitive Australian
    source for addressing and contact numbers. All the primary libraries
    will certainly have a copy, as will many smaller libraries.
    National Association Directories exist for many countries:
    [US]Encyclopedia of Associations (Gale Research)
    Directory of Associations in Canada
    Directory of Association of Asia 1997/1998 by Bing Chang

 Finding Associations Online 

    A directory of the American Society of Association Executives is
    online[7]. Unfortunately, the database is small & americanocentric. A
    search for 'book' did get me the address of the American Booksellers
    Association, but not others.
    Of course, if you have a name, use a large search engine to find an
    address. We recommend a meta-search engine called Debriefing
    (www.debriefing.com[8]), as it also suggests a home-site

    The best online source is a bit of work, but involves searching for
    associations which have published, by searching the large national
    libraries. The Library of Congress experimental search system[13] allows
    us to search for "association" as an author, and book as a keyword.
    Incidentally, this process is similar to searching for theses - search
    normally but add the word theses to the query.

    The ASCOT database includes details on the management of Associations in
    Australia. Similar databases will include management details of
    associations in other countries.

    Closing Note
    There are three important research applications for mailing lists. 1)
    Research through past discussion, 2) Directly ask members for
    assistance, and 3) Become a participative member to pick up and exchange
    information.

    On a personal side, mailing lists are easy to use and a minimal
    investment in time (the information comes to you). However, mailing
    lists are difficult to develop and maintain. Few reach the potential
    brilliance of this form of communication, so that many of the forums you
    come across will be non-existent or on their death-bed.

    Mailing lists depend on four vital ingredients - Content, Participation,
    IT-support, and Management. Often, one of these go wrong and the forum
    dies. As a member, there are important obligations starting with
    participation, and ending with forum etiquette.

    The best forums are private. The list manager decides if you are allowed
    in and more control and effort is expended in developing interesting
    content and discussion. If you find a forum is closed and private,
    persevere.

    When a group of like-minded individuals come together to achieve an aim,
    they often create an association. What better place to research. Even
    better, associations often interpret their purpose as a place to pool
    and distribute information. Larger associations often maintain a small
    library of their own and many associations publish documents about their
    area of interest. Furthermore, if you are seeking an expert in a given
    field, associations are sure to have one, or two, or many. For the
    smaller associations, be polite but firm in describing your interest and
    be ready to buy whatever small book they do publish in your quest for
    further information.

 Interrogating List Software 
 There are many different mailing list programs; listserv, majordomo, listproc, mailbase, and more. Each program has its own interrogation commands. Almost all automatically archive messages.
    Mailing List instructions Subscribe UnSubscribe
    Listserv, Listproc & Mailserv Subscribe [listname] firstname lastname
    Unsubscribe [listname]
    Majordomo Subscribe [listname] (email address) Unsubscribe [listname]
    (email address)
    Mailbase Join [listname] firstname lastname Leave [listname]

    Much more detail[9] can be found at Saint Louis University Law Library,
    thanks to James Milles.

    This post comes from The cn.net.au research site,
    a site devoted to information research.
    Advice welcome : email [email-masked]
    (c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)

 --- footnotes for the above article ---
    [1]  http://www.tile.net/tile/listserv/
    [2]  http://catalog.com/vivian/interest-group-search.html
    [3]  http://www.n2h2.com/KOVACS/
    [4]  http://www.n2h2.com/KOVACS/Sindex.html
    [5]  http://www.gu.edu.au/gint/ozlists/ozlists_home.html
    [6]  http://cn.net.au/articles/sigs.html#list_software
    [7]  http://www.asaenet.org/Gateway/OnlineAssocSlist.html
    [8]  http://www.debriefing.com
    [9]  http://lawwww.cwru.edu/cwrulaw/faculty/milles/mailser.html
    ___________________________________________________
    This document continues as Part 4/9.
    __________________________________________________
    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
    [email-masked]
    -----------------------------------
    David Novak - [email-masked]