This document discusses various databases and search engines for research, comparing their subject coverage, size, date ranges, search features, and full text availability. It provides details on multidisciplinary databases like Web of Science and Scopus as well as subject-specific databases in various fields like life sciences, engineering, environment, medicine, chemistry, education, and more. It emphasizes choosing tools based on search needs and highlights features like citation searching, thesauri, limitations, and ways to stay updated.

1. Comparing and using databases and search
engines: lots of things to think about…
Subject coverage, document type/s
Size, start year, selection of periodicals?
Updated…
Keywords, free or thesaurus
Easy to search, limitations, refine searches
Citation searching or not
Search history, export of references, alerts, RSS
Linking to fulltext…
and so on…
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2. Multidisciplinary article databases
at Uppsala university library
ISI Web of Science
~ 45 million records, starting1900
citation searching,
cross-searching with other databases
Scopus
~45 million records, half 1823-1996
citation searching
Also webpages and patents
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3. These are available on the Web of Knowledge
platform, cross-search if you want
Web of Science
BIOSIS Citation Index, (life sci., biomedicine)..
18 million records, 1969- , citations, MeSH
BIOSIS Previews, (life sci., biomedicine)………
18 million records, 1969- , CAS-no, MeSH
Zoological record, 3,5 million records, our
access starting 1978
Inspec, (math, physics, computing)
12 million records, 1891-, Thesaurus
FSTA, (food sci.), ~800000 records, 196914-01-15

4. These are some databases available on
Proquest platform. Cross-search if you want.
Dissertation & Theses, > 2 million rec., 1743 Environmental sciences and pollution
management (includ. Toxline, ASFA,
Aquatic…),
3,7 million records, 1967Toxline, 0,7 million records, 1998Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts,
640000 records, 1974-, Thesaurus
Entomology, …
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5. Article databases –
Earth science, environment
Geobase and Georef
2,2 resp. 3,2 million
records
Cross-searching
Thesaurus
Geobase, 1973Georef, 1785(USA)-,
1935 (Global)-
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6. Article databases - Medicine
Pubmed/Medline
medicine, nursing,
dentistry…
21 million records
MeSH-terms
Pre-post>full record,
continously updated
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7. Article/fact databases - Chemistry
Scifinder scholar
(Chemical abstracts)
27 mill. rec./CA
31 mill. structures/Reg
1907Continously updated
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8. Article/fact databases - Chemistry
Reaxys
Beilstein handbook +
Gmelin handbook
From 177218 million substances
28 million reactions
4 million records
Updated monthly
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9. Article databases - Education
ERIC(CSA), ERIC(free)
1,4 million records
1966-
Education Research
Complete
Ca 2.5 million records
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10. Missing some subjects?
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11. Searching www
Google scholar.com /.se /.de…
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12. Conclusion?
• More than one can be useful
• Make use of their differences regarding
search abilities, limitations etc, - choose
your tool according to the need of the day
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13. Keeping up to date…
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Subject coverage, document type/s
Size, starting year, selection of periodicals?
Updated…
Keywords, free or thesaurus
Easy to search, limitations, refine searches
Citation searching or not
• Search history, export of references, alerts,
• Linking to fulltext…
and so on…
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RSS

14. Facts about journals:
Ulrich’s international periodicals
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15. Impact of journals
Journal Citation Report, 1997-
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