Scirus.com Updates

Scirus.com New Interface

For those of you who are still not familiar with Scirus.com - this is the Best Science & Technology Search Engine, an Elsevier product.

The Scirus development team worked closely with Elsevier's User-Centered Design Group to create a new user interface design. The clean, refreshed interface will enable you to find the precise scientific, scholarly, technical and medical data you need more quickly and easily than ever before.

One of the main aims of the re-design was to take powerful, but less frequently used features from the Scirus Advanced Search page and make them more accessible as post-search refinement options. This change will give Scirus users the power of Advanced Search, without the complexity, in a single click.

Features of the re-design include:
* Visibility: More search results are immediately visible ''above the fold'', by improving the use of screen real estate
* Intuitiveness: Highly appreciated features are moved to areas of the screen most suitable for the human eye, following accepted HCI guidelines
* Exposure: The full range of content sources is further exposed and highlighted through the use of new navigator functionality
* Ease of use: Batch selection of items for export, print or saving has been greatly simplified

Scirus Topic Pages continue to grow
Scirus Topic Pages is a freely accessible wiki-like platform where topic experts, upon invitation, create synopses of the state of research around particular topics and also recommend links to relevant reading material. The Scirus search index complements these recommendations by suggesting relevant articles and web pages based on topic-title keyword analysis.
Examples of the latest Topic Pages include:

- "Obesity and the Brain" by Dr. Angelo Del Parigi

- "Laboratory determination of Listeria monocytogenes virulence" by Dr. Dongyou Liu
After implementing the Editorial Policy for the management of the Scirus Topic Pages platform in January, the Scirus team has now finalized a Creative Commons license, which allows users to share and adapt the information on the Topic Pages freely for non-commercial purposes. Both the Editorial Policy and the licence can be viewed from links at the bottom of the Scirus Topic Pages homepage.

ScienceDirect Database News: March/April 2008

Read about the latest on ScienceDirect Database:

* New functionality added to ScienceDirect to meet researchers' needs!

New to ScienceDirect are features that make the platform more user friendly and deliver better, clearer results in fewer clicks.

Preview tabs

Researchers like to quickly evaluate articles before reading them. They will find preview tabs that provide quick access to the important article assessment components: the abstract, figures/tables and references. These tabs are on the results page, the Table of Contents page and the Article page.

Reference information

Before researchers have to scroll to the foot of articles to view reference information, which hinders reading.
Now it is possible for researchers to view reference information within the body of a paper when their cursor moves over a reference marker.

Article Toolbox

Once a researcher has evaluated and read an article, they often want to email it to their peers. A new article toolbox brings together all of the article-related functionality including "Cited By", "E-mail Article", "Save as Citation Alert", "Citation Feed", "Export Citation", Add to My Quick Links", "Add 2Collab" , etc., into one easy-to-find location. Researchers can now take further action quickly and easily with little extra effort.

New Navigation options

Looking for something specific? A new navigation pane on the left of the screen will make that easier by allowing you to refine results using four filters: “content type”; “source title”, “date” and “topics”. By enabling filtering you will be able to refine your search results without having to return to the search form.

Ratings

Researchers are interested to know how other experts rate articles they read. Due to be launched in phases over the coming months, the integration of article comments and ratings from Elsevier's social collaboration site, 2collab enables researchers to evaluate papers according to colleague-driven comments and ratings of articles right on the article page.

For more information visit the ScienceDirect Info site.

* New Major Reference Works available on ScienceDirect

New and available Reference Works visit theScienceDirect Info site.

ScinceDirect database have received a number of new functionality since 2007 and I would like to say that all of them brought an improved look and feel. ScienceDirect has been updated with the latest technological innovation to help researchers find the information quickly and successfully.

Enjoy the latest improved features. Tell us how you feel about them. Make a comment.

EbscoHost 2.0: New Interface comming in July 2008

This post is just an alert about the upcoming next generation EbscoHost user interface in July 2008. According to information from their website the new interface is " based upon results gathered from extensive user testing. EBSCOhost 2.0 offers a clean new look and feel, for a technologically sophisticated, yet familiar search experience, with the built-in flexibility to provide individual user customization options".
Click on the post TITLE for details and screen shots on the functionality of the redesign. Click on any of the icons and see what is coming soon:
- Basic Search Screen 2.0
- Advanced Search Screen 2.0
- Result List 2.0
- Branding 2.0
- My EbscoHost 2.0
- Image Quick View 2.0
- Visual Search 2.0
- Improved Bibliographic Functionality
Click on the link to view the new User Guide and relevant FAQ:

http://0-support.ebsco.com.ujlink.uj.ac.za/ebscohost2/

New interface @ JSTOR

Welcome to the new JSTOR interface!

From the first sight I looked at the new JSTOR website I loved it. It is wonderful that JSTOR finally took under consideration the users needs. To make it easy to use, more tools and capabilities for users have been integrated. Now, with just one click you can have the full-text article.
I have looked at the training presentation from JSTOR and these are some of the TIPS on what is new and how to do a successful searching. One new feature to consider using is MyJSTOR. It will help you personalise your searches and export citations to RefWorks or EndNote (see below for more information).

Home page features:
• Basic search box
• News & Notices
• Links to translated information
• Menu bar, Login, Help, and Contact Us list

SEARCHING
Basic search interface:
• Searches all full-text data for articles
• Search can be limited by discipline
• Select a recent search option
• Search for links to recent content outside of JSTOR by checking the box
Advanced search:
• Enter multiple terms/keywords
• Select to search in full-text, article title, author, caption, or abstract options
• Select AND, OR, NOT, or Near 5, Near 10 and Near 25 words

• Limit to type (article, review, editorial & other), publication date range, language (8 options), limit to specific journal title, or discipline(s) - you can select more than one discipline.

Article search results:

• Click on "Page of first match" to read the article first page, Click on "Article information" to view the article bibliographic information, the References list & articles citing this article, if you need to view the full-article Click on "PDF" option.

• Option "Go to page" of search results to navigate ahead
• Search results can be displayed: 10, 25, 50 and 100 per page
Images in JSTOR tab:
•Search is run again on image captions
•Page thumbnail is a link to that page
Search: Refining Article Results
•Enter term in box and select to “search within these results” or "modify" the search strategy.
•Results can be sort by relevance or publication date (oldest to newest; newest to oldest)
Search: Results: Viewing Article
•The search terms are highlighted
•Available buttons for going back to search results, previous result, and next result
•Link to view list of page with search term(s)

BROWSE
Browse (provide exact year coverage, for each options)
- by Discipline (Disciplines are listed alphabetically)
- by Title (Jump to the required journal title)
- by Publisher. You can find the following information:
• Journals listed under Publisher’s names
• The Publisher name is a link to information about the publisher, contact details and which journals are covered in JSTOR
• The Journal title is a link to the information and to browse the journal content
Browse: Navigation: List of all Volumes
• Journal information
• Box to search within this journal
• Issue thumbnail imageBrowse: Navigation: Volumes/Issues List
• Box to search within this journal
• Issue thumbnail image
Browse: Navigation: Issue Table of Contents
• Box to search within this journal
• Issue thumbnail image
• Check boxes to save citations
• Article information and PDF
• Stable URL for linking

Article Navigation: Page view:
• Citation at top of page
• Buttons to save citation, see article information, and retrieve PDF file
• Side bars to flip to next or previous page
• Links to run relevant searches within JSTOR - other articles by that author AND Scholar Google - related articles, articles citing this article, articles by that author
Article Navigation: Print or Download PDF
• JSTOR cover page with citation and links
• Print or save using PDF reader software (Adobe shown)

MyJSTOR
Citation Management: Login to MyJSTOR
• To save citations, login to MyJSTOR first
MyJSTOR Registration
To register:
• Enter required information
• Check the box to accept the JSTOR Terms and Conditions (you won’t be prompted again)
• Citations will be saved for as long as the account is kept
Citation Management: Sort Citations
• Select from date saved or publication date sort options
Citation Management: Export Citations
To export citations:
• Check the box next to the citations to be exported
• Click the “Export article citations” button
Chose export option:
• E-mail
• BibTex file
• Directly export into RefWorks, EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager
• Printer-friendly version

For help access Tutorials and MyJSTOR Help.
Any remarks on this new interface are welcomed.
Just Click on "Comments" under this post and type your notes.

South African Information Services News: February 2008

What are the latest news from South African Information Services:

* Dialog alerts

As a Dialog customer, you’re eligible for our special alert setup service . Utilize our expert search staff – at no charge – to assist with setting up alerts on your most business-critical strategies. You’ll be the first to know of essential information that will keep you at the forefront of your industry and eliminate hours of research time. You can also have teammates included in your distribution, at your specified frequency, so you’re all in the know. Whether you’re short on time, staff or lack expertise in a specific area, your Dialog search team is ready to help. Visit www.scientific.thomson.com/forms/alerts to request a confidential alert setup consultation -- and, make sure you’re one of the first to know.

* World News Connection
Sign up today for a free trial. World News Connection offers:
• Unique content from hard-to-monitor countries
• Content provided through and in exclusive partnership with NTIS
• Ideal source for the latest information on current developments in over 100 countries
• Receive email updates on specific topics with alerts
• Records from 1995 to present
• Updates daily with from 300 – 1,000 records per day
For a free trial and/or more information (including the source list), please contact Lynne on 011 469 4032 or lynner@saonlinefinfo.co.za

* Training and consultancy
Contact Christa on 083 980 3087 or christaf@soanlineinfo.co.za for any training needs.

South African Information Services News: December 2007

Some of us have received the December 2007 newsletter from South African Information Services. They inform us about:

* SLIS Professional of the Year: Norma Roberts from Anglo American

* World News Connection: Make sure you don’t miss the opportunity of a free trial. World News Connection offers:
• Unique content from hard-to-monitor countries
• Content provided through and in exclusive partnership with NTIS
• Ideal source for the latest information on current developments in over 100 countries
• Receive email updates on specific topics with alerts
• Records from 1995 to present
• Updates daily with from 300 – 1,000 records per day
For a free trial in early 2008 and/or more information, please contact Lynne on 011 469 4032 or lynner@saonlinefinfo.co.za

* Lemon Leadership Workshop
South African Online Information Services in conjuction with a leading Training Company is offering the Lemon Leadership Seminar: On 28 February 2008, At the Dainfern Golf Club Conference Rooms; R1 950.00 per delegate (excl. VAT). The LEMON Leadership® course is not a “How To” of leadership, but a “Who are you?” course that looks at leadership in a fresh way. For more information and to book, contact Christa on 083 980 3087 or christaf@saonlineinfo.co.za

* Materials Science databases
Essential materials science files from CSA/Proquest include
· METADEX® (File 32),
· Aluminum Industry Abstracts (File 33),
· Ceramic Abstracts/World Ceramic Abstracts (File 335),
· Corrosion Abstracts (File 46),
· Engineered Materials Abstracts (File 293) and
· Solid State and Superconductivity Abstracts (File 68).
These databases contain content on materials science, metallurgy, ceramics, polymers and composites used in engineering applications. Sources include journal articles, conference papers, reports, monographs and other publications. The databases are also available for license in a single mega-file CSA Technology Research Database (File 23).For more information and/or a quotation contact Lynne on 011 469 4032 or lynner@saonlineinfo.co.za
* 2008 Dialog Database Catalog
Please let Christa know if you need a new 2008 Dialog database catalog.christaf@saonlineinfo.co.za

Have a fantastic festive season and a prosperous new year!
Lynne, Christa and Lorraine

South African Information Services News

The October 2007 newsletter from South African Information Services is now available. You can find information on:

* Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Database Reloaded with New Content
Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering (File 767) contains in-depth analyses and forecasts of market trends in 11 industries. With the recent reload to the file, records now include tables, charts, figures, spreadsheets and Microsoft® PowerPoint presentations. In DialogClassic Web™, DialogLink 5 and DialogWeb, you can view the images displayed within the record. In Dialog Classic products, records will contain URLs to the images. In addition to images, some records have attachments (e.g., Microsoft® Excel Spreadsheets) that can be downloaded to your computer. In addition, the file is now updating daily beginning in September 2007. Check the Dialog Bluesheet for more information.

* World News Connection
• Unique content from hard-to-monitor countries
• Content provided through and in exclusive partnership with NTIS
• Ideal source for the latest information on current developments in over 100 countries
• Receive email updates on specific topics with alerts
• Records from 1995 to present
• Updates daily with from 300 – 1,000 records per day
For a free trial and/or more information, please contact Lynne on 011 469 4032 or lynner@saonlinefinfo.co.za

* Two New European Trademarks Files Added to Dialog Collection
Two new trademark databases—TRADEMARKSCAN®—Latvia (File 697) and TRADEMARKSCAN®—Portugal (File 688) have joined the European trademark collection. File 697 provides information on 43,120 trademark registrations published since 1993 by the Latvian Trademark Office. File 688 contains information on 194,701 trademark applications and registrations published since 1881 by the Portuguese Trademark office. Both files include inactive published trademarks from the last three years.
* Business File Enhancements
File 745 provides access to the entire collection of Investext (from Thomson Financial) reports from August 1999 to the present, replacing File 545 that only provided 40% coverage of the collection. You will continue to find reports from such well-known investment houses in the United States, Europe and Asia, including Credit Suisse, First Boston, Lehman Brothers, HSBC and Dean Witter, among others.
* 2008 Dialog Database Catalog
The 2008 Dialog Database Catalog will be available soon. Please let Lynne or Christa know how many catalogs you will need.