Fifteen million records: BIOSIS maintains tradition of high quality
Cindi Fitzgerald
Thomson Scientific
September 2005
On one hand, the fifteen millionth record in the BIOSIS® database is simply an article about population genetics. On the other, it is a milestone that represents a significant and wider achievement - the long-established value, reliability, and reputation of BIOSIS data and products.
Introducing record number 15 million
The article “Detect and adjust for population stratification
in population-based association study using genomic control markers; An application
of Affymetrix Genechip® Human Mapping 10K array”, published in
the European Journal of Human Genetics , is the fifteen millionth BIOSIS
record to be indexed since 1969, when the electronic file began.
Based on a topic - mathematics and statistical analysis in biology - that has attained notable attention in recent years, this article exemplifies the continuing relevance and usefulness of BIOSIS to the life sciences research community. It also shows how the 2004 acquisition of BIOSIS by Thomson Scientific has expanded BIOSIS’ content and accessibility.
A mutually beneficial partnership provides more data and options
Since both Thomson Scientific and BIOSIS have long been dedicated
to providing high quality research tools and technologies, the integration of
the BIOSIS family of products into Thomson Scientific has been fitting and seamless.
The Thomson Scientific research platform, ISI Web of KnowledgeSM, adds significant value to BIOSIS content (figure 1). It allows users to cross search records in other ISI Web of Knowledge products that an institution subscribes to, including Web of Science - where users can also find the fifteen millionth record (figure 2), as well as valuable citation data that reveals the record’s past influences and future implications. This cross-search capability enables users to take advantage of the special attributes and capabilities of several products simultaneously as they explore their research topic.
Via ISI Web of Knowledge, users can also create citation alerts, which inform them when a record is cited - providing a way to track further developments. Users can also analyze their full research results; grouping records by fields specific to BIOSIS products and gaining further insight into research trends and patterns.
Explore articles from a variety of perspectives
These varied tools and options allow users to conduct research from
many perspectives and in different contexts. For example, the Affymetrix
Genechip article’s BIOSIS Previews® record provides the life
sciences view, including fields such as major concepts, concept codes, taxonomic
data, and methods and equipment data.
For an agriculture-based angle, mutual subscribers to other ISI Web of Knowledge products can easily click on a link to the record in CAB Abstracts®; they can also view it in MEDLINE®, Current Contents Connect®, and Web of Science. Each product provides valuable descriptors, codes, identifiers and other data and search options that add to the user’s understanding of this article’s meaning and impact. And all records are displayed in one intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
Continued growth
BIOSIS continues to grow; over 168 journal titles have been added
to its extensive coverage in the past year. Beth Ten Have, Senior Product Manager,
Biosis, notes that the titles added represent a diverse group of subject and
geographical areas:
“We are adding titles in the areas of agriculture, biotechnology, molecular biology, ecology and environmental management and conservation, and biomedicine. Over 20% of these titles are published in Asia, another 35% are from Western Europe, over 10% are from Eastern Europe, and approximately 9% of the titles are from South and Central America.”
As Ten Have notes: “These upgrades and enhancements represent Thomson Scientific’s continuing commitment to delivering the highest quality multidisciplinary and geographically varied content to its BIOSIS users.
Figure
1: The fifteen millionth BIOSIS record, viewed on the ISI Web of Knowledge
platform
Figure
2: The fifteen millionth BIOSIS record, viewed in the Web of Science
database