STLQ

.: Scopus sent an e-mail today announcing a new feature on the db called Scopus Author Identifier:

We are pleased to announce a major new feature to Scopus - the Scopus Author Identifier.
The Scopus Author Identifier helps solve one of the biggest problems associated with author searching:

• How do you distinguish between articles belonging to one author and those belonging to other authors with similar names?
  
• How can you be confident that your search has captured all results for an author when their name is recorded in different ways? And, can you be sure that names with unusual characters such as accents have been included?

The Scopus Author Identifier does the hard work for your researchers by automatically matching variations of an author’s name and distinguishing between authors with the same name. It’s the only database that takes the guesswork out of author searching on such a large scale. The Author Identifier will be activated on the 13th May.

Continue reading "Scopus Author Identifier - New Feature" »

Posted by Randy Reichardt at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

.: I am back from the ACS Conference in Atlanta. My presentation was kindly received by those in attendance for an eight-speaker session that began at 08:00 on a Sunday morning!

.: Nice to see that Ebsco has released RSS feeds for search questions, as well as a visual search function, as reported in The Distant Librarian. While it's nice to see another database offer a function that EV2 has had since July 2005, EBSCO has buried the feeds within its Search Alert function, and it requires a 17-step procedure to set it up, which is a bit clunky. EV2 puts the RSS alongside a search as it develops, making for a quick c&p into an RSS reader.

Scopus is about to release RSS feeds as well, apparently on April 5th, 2006. More information here.

Posted by Randy Reichardt at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

.: George Porter reports the following on various discussion lists today:

Judy Burnham has published a review of Scopus and a comparison of it with Web of Science. Burnham is the Assistant Director for Administrative and Regional Services in the Charles M. Baugh Biomedical Library, University of South Alabama.

Judy F. Burnham. Scopus database: a review. Biomedical Digital Libraries 2006, 3:1. <http://www.bio-diglib.com/content/3/1/1>
Abstract: The Scopus database provides access to STM journal articles and the references included in those articles, allowing the searcher to search both forward and backward in time. The database can be used for collection development as well as for research. This review provides information on the key points of the database and compares it to Web of Science. Neither database is inclusive, but complements each other. If a library can only afford one, choice must be based in institutional needs.

Biomedical Digital Libraries (ISSN: 1742-5581) is an independent, Open Access journal hosted by BioMed Central.

Posted by Randy Reichardt at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

.: Today's Knowledgespeak Newsletter reports the following:

• American Chemical Society Launches New Journal:

  The world’s largest scientific society, American Chemical Society (ACS), US, has announced the launch of its new peer-reviewed publication, ACS Chemical Biology, a global forum for biologists and chemists working jointly to understand cellular processes. Editor-in-chief Laura L. Kiessling, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and MacArthur Foundation Fellow at the University of Wisconsin will lead ‘ACS Chemical Biology’.

• Scopus Offers New Citation Tracker Feature:

  Abstract and indexing database Scopus, part of STM publisher Elsevier, Netherlands, has announced the launch of the Citation Tracker, a new feature that allows subscribing researchers to easily evaluate research using citation data. The feature was developed in response to users’ requirement to deviate from pre-defined metrics and analyse a topic at the individual author or article level.

  Scopus Citation Tracker provides a more easy and efficient way for researchers and librarians to check and track citation data to gather knowledge on articles, authors, their own published work and research trends. It is projected as the only product to give an instant overview of citation data for any set of articles over a date range selected by the user.

  The original press release is here.
  
• CLOCKSS community initiative to reliably archive scholarly content:

  A group of publishers, learned societies and librarians has launched an initiative using the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) technology to support a ‘large dark archive’. The archive is projected to serve as a reliable repository for published scholarly content.

  The initiative, Controlled LOCKSS (CLOCKSS), assures the research community that access to journal content will not be obstructed by any calamity that prevents the delivery of content. The collaborative initiative addresses the uncertainty that librarians have faced in the digital environment. The initial two-year pilot will include at least five research libraries and several commercial and society publishers. During this period, libraries and publishers will continue to work closely to gather and analyse data and develop a proposal for a complete archiving model.

  Original press release is here.

Posted by Randy Reichardt at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

:: From the latest InfoToday, reported by Paula Hane:

July 18, 2005 — Scopus, the abstract and indexing (A&I) database of scientific, technological, and medical research information developed last year by Elsevier, has apparently beat all expectations for the success of its market adoption. In June, 6 months after its launch, the company announced it had signed its 500th customer. And, following an agreement with the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC; http://www.jisc.ac.uk), more than 60 universities in the U.K. are now taking part in the introductory offer for Scopus. Today, July 18, Scopus is announcing a range of new updates and features that further its mission of providing an easy-to-use, comprehensive system for conducting scientific research. The product is not viewed as a stand-alone, but rather as one that fits within the research process and supports the workflow by seamlessly integrating third-party research tools. New features being introduced include close integration with RefWorks, the bibliographic management tool from CSA; interoperability with the chemical structure searching in MDL’s CrossFire Commander; and several content integration enhancements.

In November 2004, Elsevier launched Scopus, its ambitious project designed in close collaboration with librarians and researchers that promised to be the most comprehensive STM database. (See the launch report at http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb041115-2.shtml and a NewsBreak on the announcement of the new service at http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb040315-1.shtml.] At the time, Elsevier said that it aimed to make the Scopus service “as easy to use as Google,” with fewer clicks to the full text than any service available. Since then, Scopus has been building on its foundation and adding enhancements to accelerate and simplify the research experience.

Posted by Randy Reichardt at 9:19 AM | Permalink

:: Comments were received regarding resources mentioned in previous entries, and I felt the information was important enough to be added to a new post.

• Regarding the entry, Review of Web of Science (2004 version) and Scopus, Christina Pikas advised that "My colleague, Susan Fingerman, wrote a very detailed review of Scopus for Online magazine (it's put out by Information Today). That magazine is indexed full text in a bunch of the general academic databases like Wilson and Ebsco." Here's the citation: Fingerman, Susan. "SCOPUS: Profusion and Confusion". Online v29 issue 2, 36-38.
  
• Regarding the entry, Guide To Downloading Patents on the Internet, Dana Roth wrote to add Patent Fetcher to the list.

Posted by Randy Reichardt at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

:: I've been trying to make time to learn more about Scopus since we acquired it. It is a very powerful database, with substantial content. Will it supplant others we use here? There is a very detailed comparative review of Web of Science (2004 version) and Scopus, in the v6 n3 January 2005 issue, by Louise F Deis, Princeton, and David Goodman, Long Island University. Their quick summary in one sentence: "Quick summary in one sentence: Keep Web of Science and buy Scopus if you can once the publisher gets the data loaded." Two additional entries related to this review include the authors' comments on a review of WoS and Scopus in the 15 Jan 2005 Library Journal, and a letter to the authors in response to their review from two librarians at the R.W. Van Houten Library, New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Posted by Randy Reichardt at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)