Ei
Village Inspec 1896+ and Compendex 1884+ Search Hints:
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Inspec
(1896 to present). Indexes journal articles and conference
proceeding papers in the areas of electrical engineering, computer
engineering, physics, optics, electronics, communications, control engineering,
computing, manufacturing and production engineering, and information technology.
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Compendex
(1884 to present). Indexes major journals and conference proceedings
in most engineering disciplines. Combine Inspec
& Compendex.
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"Select Database" -- Search Inspec
and Compendex
databases simultaneously. About 20% overlap between Inspec and Compendex.
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"Remove Duplicates" then choose Inspec at "Database Preferences"
-- "Inspec"
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Compendex and Inspec
search
examples http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/3ei.pdf
[Get Acrobat]
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Engineering Village "Help"
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Format for marked records (email, print,
download). "Choose Format."
Default is "Citation." Change
to "Detailed record" Format.
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Books. To search Referex
Engineering, Elsevier’s searchable full text database of over 300
engineering books, click on "eBook Search" (top right)
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Truncation (*) and Wild Cards.
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Truncation (*) and wild cards cannot be used within
quotation
marks or braces or used with the near or onear command.
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The asterisk (*) is the right and left hand truncation symbol.
Examples: comput* returns computer, computerized, computation, computational,
computability ; *sorption returns adsorption, absorption, desorption
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Use truncation (*) to search for words that begin with the same letters.
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Wild cards: wom?n finds woman, women.
t??th finds tooth, teeth, truth, tenth.
h*emoglobin finds haemoglobin.
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Truncation can also be used to replace any number of characters internally.
sul*ate returns sulphate or sulfate
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Stemming. Stemming allows retrieval of variants of a word
using the word root as the stemming basis.
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Search terms are automatically stemmed in "Easy Search" and "Quick Search"
except terms searched in the author field. In Expert Search, stem
terms using $-- $management returns managing, managed, manager, manage,
managers, etc.
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Stemming can be used with the proximity operators if all
of the terms are stemmed. For example, $electric ONEAR/0 $guitars will
find "electric guitar" or "electric guitars" but might also find "electrical
guitars."
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Autostemming "On" -- Stemming uses an algorithm that determines
the suffixes of words and allows you to search for the term as entered,
the root word and other words formed with other possible suffixes. Default
is "On" for "Quick Search."
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Stemming will not find variants between British and American spellings.
Autostems all key words except for Author names and words in quotations
and/or braces. Using truncation or wildcards will turn off the stemming
feature.
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Phrases (" ") and Proximity (NEAR/# ONEAR/#)
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Phrases. Use quotation marks (" ") or braces for exact,
word for word phrases, with no truncation or wild
cards. Examples: "International Space Station"
{solar energy} ; International ONEAR/0 space ONEAR/0
station
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The NEAR/# and ONEAR/# commands do not
work with truncation, wildcards, parenthesis, quotes or braces.
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Search for terms that are within 0-x terms of one another in any order:
laser NEAR/4 diode.
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Search for terms that are within 0-x terms of one another and searched
in the order entered: laser ONEAR/5 diode
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Search for terms that are near and within the same index: (laser
ONEAR/5 diode) wn TI
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Search for terms that are adjacent: Space NEAR/0 stations
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If no number of words if specified, four is assumed: laser NEAR diode
is the same as laser NEAR/4 diode
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Truncation and stemming cannot be used within quotation marks or braces
(phrases), but stemming can be used with the proximity operators if all
of
the terms are stemmed. NEAR and ONEAR can be used with stemming.
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Fields. Can restrict to field names. "Search In"
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Title. TI=
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Controlled Term is a thesaurus subject heading term.
CV=
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Controlled thesaurus terms and uncontrolled identifier subject terms differ
in
each database (Inspec and Compendex).
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Publication year coverage for controlled terms can vary for controlled
terms.
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Uncontrolled Term is the Uncontrolled Identifier subject heading
term selected by an indexer (not a thesaurus term). FL=
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Example: (((model* or simulat* or algorithm*) WN TI) AND (("signal processing")
WN CV)), 1980-2004
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Subject/Title/Abstract retrieves from Abstract, Title, Translated
title, Ei and Inspec controlled terms, Ei main heading, and Uncontrolled
terms.
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Limiting to "Document Type" or by "Treatment Type" will exclude records
from Compendex added before 1985. Each database offers unique "types"
not available in the other database.
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Browse Indexes. Author. Search AU=(Clough). Spaces
and commas are both important. The format for author name differs for
each database.
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Inspec only uses initials for first names. Compendex
cites authors' names as they appear in the original document (either
initials or full first name).
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Surnames can be followed either by a "space" or followed by a "comma."
Example: In "Expert Search," browse Author Index by both "Clough,
G" and by "Clough G" or browse Author Index by both "Clough, W"
and by "Clough W."
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Use the "Expert Search" screen for "Browse Indexes," such
"Author" box. In Quick Search, if more than three terms are selected,
the fourth term will overwrite the term in the third search box. In Expert
Search, as many terms as needed can be selected.
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Author names can be truncated by using an asterisk (*) as the truncation
symbol [such as Smith, A*]. Be aware that this strategy may lead
to false hits because there are many authors with the same last name and
first initial. Searching on Smith, A. B. will not retrieve articles with
the author cited as Smith, A.
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Compendex “Author Affiliation” Field
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Prior to 2001, the official Compendex policy was to provide the institutional
affiliation of the first author or editor. Since 2001, the affiliation
of the Compendex corresponding author has been given instead (Compendex).
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Beginning March 16, 2009, for Compendex and PaperChem: Multiple authors
will be listed in the author affiliations field. A corresponding
author and email field will be added to the detailed record display. For
those Compendex/PaperChem records with multiple author affiliations, the
contact information of the lead author will appear.
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"Search History" combines previous search statements with
Boolean operators "and" "or" "not." Can add search terms with item
numbers (#).
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Example: #5 and ((simulat* or model*) wn CV). Example:
(#1 or #2) and #3.
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Only searches run in the same database, or combination of databases, are
combinable.
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Duplicates. Click on "Remove Duplicates" then choose Inspec
at "Database Preferences: Inspec" (Inspec has fewer record
errors than does Compendex). Duplicate records will be removed from
the first 1000 records in the result set. Inspec is the "database
that you prefer to see results from."
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Journals.
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Can copy journal ISSN numbers to the Classic
GT Catalog "Exact Search" screen, choosing ISSN (xxxx-xxxx).
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When the journal ISSN search is not successful, copy and paste the exact,
left anchored journal name to the Classic
GT Catalog "Exact Search" box and choose "Journal Title."
The Classic GT Catalog
may contain separate records for electronic and print volumes. Note publication
year coverage and title changes. Electronic records are often listed
before
print Classic GT Catalog records
(if separate records exist). "Find It GT" works for most, but not
all, journals.
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Conference Proceedings. Please ask us for help!
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Use the Classic GT Catalog "Keyword
Search" screen for conference proceedings and questionable journal names.
Remember that the words "and" "or" "not" are not allowed in a Classic
GT Catalog "Keyword Search." Try major conference name keywords
first.
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Note "Journal/Source/Serial" field and "Conference Name/Monographic
title" fields.
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Conferences can be cataloged in the Classic
GT Catalog as either monographs (books, with an unique monographic
title, a specific date and specific location) or as serials
(similar
to journals; all conferences listed in one "serial" record).
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"Find It GT" often will not work for conference
proceedings, technical
research reports, or patents.
Even though owned by the Library, "Find It GT" may only list the option
"ILLiad Interlibrary Loan." The link may return "Not Available" or
"Your search failed!" when the item is owned by the Library. Ask us for
help!
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ISSN problem. Many conference proceeding ISSN numbers will not
work with "Find It GT," although the proceedings are in the
Classic
GT Catalog. The Library may own all volumes of a particular conference
proceedings in the Classic GT Catalog,
but the Inspec, Compendex or other database "ISSN number" will not work
in the Classic GT
Catalog.
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IEEE and IEE/IET.
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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Institution
of Electrical Engineers (IEE) -- now Institution of Engineering and Technology
(IET). If the keywords "IEEE" or "IEE" or "IET" are
in the Inspec
or Compendex "Journal/Source/Serial" field or in the Inspec or Compendex
"Conference Name" field, search both
IEEE
Xplore ("Advanced Search" one word in each box, such as author last
name and title keyword) and the Classic
GT Catalog.
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Some IEEE and IEE/IET papers are not in IEEE
Xplore, but are owned by the Library and are cataloged in the Classic
GT Catalog. Some joint and many pre-1988 IEEE/IEE/IET papers
are not in IEEE Xplore, but are owned by the Library.
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IEEE
Xplore has simulataneous user limitations; please Logout when finished.
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Inspec/Compendex
index a very large number and wide variety of Library owned electronic
and print publications (such as ACM, SPIE, ASME, OSA, AIP, IOP, IPC, APS,
MRS, SIAM, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, North Holland, Taylor & Francis,
MIT Press, Pergamon Press, Kluwer, Academic Press, Chapman and Hall, and
many others) not covered by IEEE Xplore
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"Find It GT". "Find It GT" (located at the end of each record)
works properly for most (but not all) "journal article" document
types. "Find It GT" links to electronic full text or to the Classic
GT Catalog record. Note that
aggregator databases can have
selective full text coverage
and embargo date restrictions (ProQuest, EBSCOhost, Factiva,
GaleGroup, Lexis Nexis, etc.). "Find It GT" often
will
not work properly for conference proceedings
or technical reports
owned by the Library; the conference proceeding may be in the Classic
GT Catalog even though "Find It GT" fails.
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Check journal title changes (Continues, Continued by, Spilt into) in the
Classic
GT Catalog.
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Spellings. Remember British and American spellings
of words and alternative spellings, and spell out acronyms
and abbreviations (fiber/fibre, modelled/modeled, AGV/automated guided
vehicle*).
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Session expiration. Your session will expire
after 20 continuous minutes of inactivity. Mark and
send records to email or save in a file.
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DOI. "Detailed record" format only. Try copying and pasting
the "DOI:" number (such as 10.1117/12.754566) into the eJournals "Have
a ...DOI
you'd like to find? Try the Citation
Linker" -- "DOI"
blank box, for electronic subscription collections such as IEEE Explore,
SPIE, AIAA, ScienceDirect, PROLA or SPIN.
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Mark your records and E-mail, Print or Download them.
Remember to change "Choose format" from the default "Citation" to "Detailed
record."
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Fast searches in Inspec & Compendex for a few
papers on a topic: Limit By (drop down menus) (1) "Journal article" (Document
Type) -- Find It @ GT works properly for most journal papers, but often
does not work for conference papers; (2) "General review" (Treatment Type);
(3) "English" (Language); (4) recent date. Add synonyms to your search
strategy by checking: Title, Abstract, Subject Heading fields; thesauri
(online); bibliographies/references at the end of similar papers and footnotes.
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Select range. You can add up to 400 records in "Select range"
before choosing to e-mail or download. "Choose format" email,
print, or download selected records. Check "Clear Selected Records" on
new search. Choose "Detailed record" under "Change format." Only
5,000 results can be retrieved from any search.
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Stop words. Place the phrase within braces or quotation
marks. {block and tackle} "water craft parts and equipment" {near
earth objects}
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Thesaurus. Use "Exact Term" if you know a controlled
vocabulary term and want go directly to its thesaurus entry which contains
broader, narrower and related terms as well as scope notes, prior terms
and lead-in terms
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"Limit By." Publication Year. Earliest possible publication
date is 1896/1884. Reverts to default date for each new search.
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"Quick Search" and "Expert Search" screens are available..
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Post Search results can be sorted by date (publication year), relevance,
author or source.
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Saved searches. Up to 125 saved searches are available.
Only one search statement line is saved. Search History then
Save. You can save up to 50 records within each personal folder (3
folders)..
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Alerts. Create up to 125 weekly E-mail Alerts from the Search
History. Up to 25 records are sent within an e-mail alert. If more records
were retrieved from the weekly update, a hyperlink appears in the body
of the e-mail alert linking you to the Engineering Village 2. One
line alerts.
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"Refine Search" keeps current settings. "New Search" erases
all settings and return to defaults.
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Classic GT Catalog
slide class presentation examples, using Inspec and Compendex
field information http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/2gil.pdf
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Classic GT Catalog
search hints http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/gilei.htm
National
Technical Information Service (NTIS) Search Hints
are at http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/csa.htm.
NTIS search examples.
Cambridge Scientific Abstract's technical research reports bibliographic
database. Most of these reports are available either
in microfiche or in electronic format.
For on-on-one database search assistance and for group
instruction, contact your Subject
Librarian.
Inspec
and Compendex Search Examples
Library Services
for ECE Students http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/eceser.htm
Classic GT Catalog
Search Examples
Classic GT Catalog
Search Hints
Database Commands
Comparison Chart
Information
for Distance Learners Document delivery: Georgia
Tech Savannah, Center
for Distance Learning, GT
Lorraine
Professor Bonnie Heck Ferri's ECE 8010 library
orientation lecture recorded by DLPE/Distance Learning (temporary file)
Library Services,
Search Hints and Database Guides for ECE
Library
Services, Search Hints and Database Guides for GTRI
Library Home Page
Classic GT Catalog
All Library
Databases
All Library Research
Guides
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/