LS101

GED/GSA 579

Evaluating Periodical Indexes and Full Text Databases
Answers for Expanded Academic ASAP

1. Who is the audience for this database? Purpose, why would a person use this database?
- Expanded Academic ASAP on InfoTrac Web provides a combination of indexing, abstracts, images, and full text for scholarly and general interest journals embracing all subject / academic disciplines. see http://www.gale.com/servlet/ItemDetailServle
t?region=9&imprint=000&titleCode=INFO9&type=4&id=172032 for complete information

2. Currency, what years are covered?

Indexing back to the 80's in some cases to the present. Expanded Academic ASAP indexes over 3500 journal titles indexed with more than 1900 available in full text

3 What Languages, Geographical coverage?

Generally only English language. While the coverage is North American "centric," there is international coverage of journals - and an unusual number of Austrailain journals.

4. What kinds of materials are indexed? (newspapers, journals, books, film reviews, radio transcripts, etc.)

This is primarily a journal/periodical database. Some newspapers are indexed but this is limited

5. Access, how does one get to this database/where is it "located?"

On campus access via the SMC library web site. Off- campus access provided to SMC students via password. You may also access this database through the Vermont Online Libraries see http://www.burnham.lib.vt.us/Vermont%20Online.htm as an example

6. How do you use boolean/keyword operators (and, or, not)

This database supports the boolean operators in lower or upper case. Parenthesis allow nesting of terms - ex (business or marketing) and sports

This database also allows "relevancy searching"
Special Relevance Search Characters
Double quotes "civil war" Match civil war exactly
Plus sign +television Matching articles must contain the word television
Minus sign -headache Matching articles must not contain the word headache

7. What are the truncation and wild-card symbols?

There are three wildcard operators:
* ? !

An asterisk (*) stands for any number of characters, including none, and is especially useful when you want to find all words that share the same root. For example, pigment* matches pigment, pigments, pigmentation, etc.

An asterisk can also be used within a word, but the other wildcards are more precise for this kind of use.
?

A question mark (?) stands for exactly one character and is especially useful when you're uncertain of a spelling. For example, a search like relev?nce means you can match the word relevance even if, like many of us, you can't remember whether it's spelled with ance or ence.

A question mark is also useful for finding certain words with variant spellings. For example, defen?e finds both defense (American) and defence (British and Canadian). Multiple question marks in a row stand for the same number of characters as there are question marks. For example, psych????y matches either psychology or psychiatry but not psychotherapy.
!

An exclamation point (!) stands for one or no characters and is especially useful when you want to match the singular and plural of a word but not other forms. For example, product! matches product and products but not productive or productivity. The exclamation point can also be used inside a word to match certain variant spellings. For example, colo!r matches both color (American) and colour (British).

8. Does the database provide a list of the journals (sources) it indexes?

Yes, and you may also search to see if journals are indexed and the degree to which full text is provided.

9. How do you search by fields?

The easiest way is to use the Advance Search and the pull down menus. Author, title, subject, journals title

10. How do you conduct phrase and proximity searches?

InfoTrac searches for your words within two words of each other in either direction

Quotation marks around two or more words will look for exact phrases
"silent majority"

Using W and the number of words you want searched within
civil w1 war = exact phrase

11. How do you bring up citations and abstracts of the computer record?

If citations are not full text, a citation or abstract link will be given under the citation record.

12. Are there Full-Text materials in the database? What percentage? Is the full text in image files (.pdf) files or text (ascii) files? Is there a fee for accessing full text?

Expanded Academic ASAP indexes over 3500 journal titles indexed with more than 1900 available in full text. Some of the full text is "embargoed" so the most recent year is not available.

Full text is sometimes provided only as test - html or as text and graphics. This mean there is a pdf version which is the same as a photocopy of print article.

13. Is there a link to libraries that carry the journals or books?

No - not in this database.

14. Is there a link from search citations to SMC Interlibrary Loan?

No - not in this database.

15. How do you search by subject or descriptor terms? Is there a print/online thesaurus/subject headings list? What is the "quality" of the subject terms given to an article?

You may search by subject by clicking on the Subject Guide in the left hand column when in Search mode. There is not an online thesaurus in this database, but the subject guide acts like an equivalent.

Looking over the subject terms given to articles - the quality seem low.

More information

Entries are displayed in groups and in alphabetical order within each group. First are the entries in which your search word(s) comes first. Next are the entries in which your word(s) comes second, and so on.

To select a Subject Guide entry, select its link:

* A main Subject Guide entry leads to a list of citations
* A subdivision link leads to another Subject Guide page with a list of specific aspects of the main entry
* A related subject link leads to another Subject Guide page with entries for the related subject.

16. Evaluate the database for your needs: Were you successful in your searches? Was it easy to use? Is it slow? Give the good and bad points?

This is a good database for starting research on an academic or popular current topic. It will not go into depth for any one particular topic though. When compared to the library's other multi-subject database - Academic Search Premier, this database is not as deep in peer reviewed journals

17. What institutions would you suggest should buy or use this database?

Generally, this database is useful to for an undergraduate college library.

18. Are the help screens "helpful?"

They are useful. A little confusing knowing where you are when using. Confusing also why they didn't give quotation marks as the primary means to phrase search

19. Evaluate the interface? What is the best method of searching for the beginner user? What is the best method of searching for the expert user?

Using the Advanced search lets beginning sers search more easily with boolean operators provided in drop down menus. A user in Keyword search mode might mistakenly assume the search is like a Google search where "AND" is implied. Their searches will probably be different than their expectation.

20. Who publishes this database? What organization?

Thompson Gale see http://www.gale.com/about/index.htm

Thomson Gale™ (www.gale.com), a business of The Thomson Corporation, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. The company is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs — from homework help to health questions to business profiles — in a variety of formats — books, Web-based solutions and microfilm.

The Thomson Gale family of publishing imprints includes such noted reference brands as Macmillan Reference USA™, Charles Scribner's Sons® and Primary Source Microfilm™. Thomson Gale also serves the K-12 market with its U·X·L®, Greenhaven Press®, Lucent Books®, KidHaven Press™, Blackbirch Press® and Sleeping Bear Press™ imprints. Thorndike Press®, Walker Large Print™ and Wheeler Publishing™ serve libraries' large print collections, while the Taft Group®, specializes in reference materials for the nonprofit sector. Thomson Gale operating companies include distinguished German reference publisher K.G. Saur™ and the U.K.-based Graham & Whiteside™.

In addition to serving the school and library communities, Thomson Gale also licenses its proprietary content for integration within Web-based information services. Nearly 100 organizations — including Looksmart, Borders, Dow Jones, and Thomson Financial — presently enjoy strategic business distribution partnerships with Thomson Gale.

Thomson Gale is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, with additional offices elsewhere in the U.S. and in the U.K., Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Malaysia.

About The Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2003 revenues of $7.6 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 39,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).

21. Can a searcher restrict searches to only peer review, refereed or scholarly journals?

Yes, you may use the limit function
Limiting also lets you impose specific controls on the search result to produce a smaller result set that is more precisely focused on what you want. The following are ways you can limit your search:

* To articles with full text
* To articles from refereed (peer-reviewed) publications
* To articles published within a date range.
* To articles from particular journals (publications)

22. Are the links to articles durable or persistent? Can you link to articles in the database from email or web pages?

Yes - if an "InfoMark" is above the page you may use the URL to link to the article