Subject: Information Research FAQ v.2.6 (Part 4/9)
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/part4
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 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:
    [email-masked]  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 [email-masked]
    (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 [email-masked]
    (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 [email-masked]
    (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
    [email-masked]
    -----------------------------------
    David Novak - [email-masked]