Archive-name: internet/info-research-faq/part2 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: April 2002 URL: http://spireproject.com Copyright: (c) 2001 David Novak Maintainer: David Novak < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it                   Information Research FAQ     (Part 2/6)             100 pages of search techniques, tactics and theory           by David Novak of the Spire Project (SpireProject.com)     Welcome. This FAQ addresses information literacy; the skills, tools and     theory of information research. Particular attention is paid to the     role of the internet as both a reservoir and gateway to information     resources.     The FAQ is written like a book, with a narrative and pictures. You have     found your way to part two, so do backtrack to the beginning. If you     are lost, this FAQ always resides as text at     http://spireproject.com/faq.txt and with pictures at     http://spireproject.com/faq.htm     This FAQ is an element of the Spire Project http://spireproject.com,     the primary free reference for information research and an important     resource for search assistance.     ***    The Spire Project also includes a 3 hour public seminar _title_d     ***    Exceptional Internet Research. This is a fast paced seminar     ***    supported with a great deal of webbing, reaching to skills and     ***    research concepts beyond the ground covered on our website and     ***    this FAQ. http://spireproject.com/seminar.htm has a synopsis.     ***    I am in Europe, seminaring in Ireland and Europe though I     ***    will be returning to the US shortly, and South Australia for     ***    a seminar this October.     Enjoy,     David Novak - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     The Spire Project : SpireProject.com and SpireProject.co.uk     NOTE FOR RETURN READERS: previously, we prepared this section by     converting work originally prepared in html. This became unproductive     so we have limited the internet _link_s in this FAQ and direct you to the     more lengthy articles prepared in html. All the required _link_s and     search tool forms reside in other parts of the Spire Project, like the     websites and free shareware     (http://spireproject.com/spire_latest_version.zip).                         Searching Specific Formats.                                  Section 4     On the second year of his training, Shakh began to piece together the     many rules and guidelines to understanding hieroglyphs. He had thought     the lessons would end once he learned the glyphs but no, there were     long and convoluted rules governing the translation of sounds into     glyphs. Simple rules govern the placement of glyphs on the wall -     certain glyphs lose their meaning when placed apart.     Then, there was the art of writing. The glyphs had to be the right size     and shape. If you were about to finish the line, you could squish     certain glyphs just a little to make room for the next glyph. If you     did not plan well, you would leave the line hanging, a word unfinished,     a sentence incomplete.     Then Shakh started to learn hieratic - shorthand glyphs for less formal     situations.     It was all very complicated and cumbersome. Shakh did not like the     technical nature of writing. So much to learn and still so far from     writing clear, interesting results. His seasons in training went very     slowly. The Nile rose then fell then rose again.                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     A great deal of dull information must be comprehended, absorbed,     internalized. Nothing spectacular. Nothing of particular interest. Just     a mass of rules and guidelines to help you move within the world of     information.     On the third year of medical school the aspiring doctor begins to     memorize a vast _link_ed-array of drugs, symptoms and afflictions. The     next three years are spent developing this mental array; refining,     building, adding experience, so that one day a doctor may look at a     symptom, think of possible afflictions or drug reactions, then     proscribe drugs or call for further tests. The whole process of     learning this array is intensely dull.     In the first part of this FAQ we explained in detail how an information     search involves first selecting a suitable format (book, webpage, news,     interview ...) then searching a few important tools that help us find     information in that format. The first format we will look at is the     humble book.                                    Books            _link_s and forms at http://spireproject.com/books.htm     Shakh arrived in Edfu on a small boat in the company of his father. It     was a short walk from the dock to the Edfu temple complex. A fantastic     sight. A noble sight. The temple included a vast library of books and     manu_script_s - a warehouse of knowledge about Egypt.     Not that there were many manu_script_s in total. The time and expense it     took to create even a single copy made the library a prohibitive     expense open to only those in certain need. This was not a public     library, but an elitist library, open only to those who could justify     the gifts required to enter. There it was, open before them, long     shelves of scrolls arranged by rough topic. Amazing indeed. Shakh     shivered slightly in the cool air. This would be his life for the next     few years.                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     Books have such meaning to us as a society. We have a vibrant emotional     connection. Books exude a solid proof of value to a larger community.     They are important resources but the additional awe is amazing to     behold. Try ripping a chapter from a book you own in public. The stares     and discomfort is almost tangible. Some book-lovers get upset about     slight creases in books, treating books as if they were important     museum quality manu_script_s - something to hold with awe and treat     gently.     Being a book writer is similarly impressive. It is a mark of an expert.     A knowledgeable expert. A knowledgeable expert we should listen too,     should pay money for the chance to listen to, should pay, listen and     carefully not crease their work.     This attitude is silly.     A book is a package of information, prepared along certain guidelines,     with a purpose. In research we look for books on a topic that may help     us answer a question. These books tend to be large, lengthy, detailed,     verbose, heavy. Books are not good at describing cutting edge     developments. They generally summarize popular consensus. They avoid     criticism. When searching, they can make horrible resources.     Books are also large and physical creations. They must be stored. They     stick around. They have a limited shelf life but libraries are forever     over-stocked with dated publications of limited use and value. They are     also long - troublesome things to read.     Books come in different flavors. There are the books by industry     insiders who tell the truth, rip the facade about a particular     industry. Such books make brilliant resources. There are also books by     journalists, prepared without insider knowledge, more of a novel of a     newsworthy situation. Such books tend to the verbose, circumstantial,     light on facts.     Certain questions simply beg to be answered by reading a book. Such     questions are usually general, introductory, timeless. For such     questions a stack of news articles would lack cohesion. A collection of     articles would be too precise, not give you the larger picture. Such     questions need the 100 pages of de_script_ion, pictures and the     considered _frame_work that books embody.     Finding a Book     As an information format, there are certain tools and resources you     need to be aware of to effectively search for books. Thankfully, many     of these tools have emerged on the internet. These include:     - A data_base_ of the free books on the internet from projects like the     Online Book Initiative and Project Gutenberg. Includes many     copyright-free classics (but not ebooks - a different concept).     - Three government publication data_base_s for the US, UK and Australia.     The US and Australian data_base_s are comprehensive. The UK data_base_ is     incomplete. The complete data_base_ is commercially available     - The book data_base_s of large online bookstores is incomplete but     useful as a fast search of current books. Some include background     information. I use Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Borders and the UK Internet     Bookshop (of the WHSmith bookstore chain).     - The largest libraries of the world, like the US Library of Congress     and British Library hold more than 20 million publications stretching     back many years. The online book catalogues are not good for the latest     books, but are brilliant at earlier works.     - Local libraries and state libraries are noteworthy as finding a book     in their data_base_ also means you have found access to these books.     - The definitive resource is the collection of national Books-in-Print     data_base_s like [US] Books in Print, Australian Books in Print, French     Books in Print... These data_base_s are commercially available online, as     print directories (yuck) in libraries and often from publicly available     to search from good bookstores     Book Data_base_s     Information about new books is organized in a collection of national     Books in Print data_base_s. This information is publisher-verified,     includes forthcoming _title_s, and is naturally updated far faster than     the library and bookstore catalogues.     Books in Print, produced by Bowker, delivers publisher-verified     information on US books. British Books in Print is produced by Whitaker
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Archive-name: internet/info-research-faq/part3 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: April 2002 URL: http://spireproject.com Copyright: (c) 2001 David Novak Maintainer: David Novak < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it                   Information Research FAQ     (Part 3/6)             100 pages of search techniques, tactics and theory           by David Novak of the Spire Project (SpireProject.com)     Welcome. This FAQ addresses information literacy; the skills, tools and     theory of information research. Particular attention is paid to the     role of the internet as both a reservoir and gateway to information     resources.     The FAQ is written like a book, with a narrative and pictures. You have     found your way to part three, so do backtrack to the beginning. If you     are lost, this FAQ always resides as text at     http://spireproject.com/faq.txt and http://spireproject.co.uk/faq.txt     and with pictures at http://spireproject.com/faq.htm     This FAQ is an element of the Spire Project http://spireproject.com,     the primary free reference for information research and an important     resource for search assistance.     ***    The Spire Project also includes a 3 hour public seminar _title_d     ***    Exceptional Internet Research. This is a fast paced seminar     ***    supported with a great deal of webbing, reaching to skills and     ***    research concepts beyond the ground covered on our website and     ***    this FAQ. http://spireproject.com/seminar.htm has a synopsis.     ***    I am in Europe, seminaring in Ireland and Europe though I     ***    will be returning to the US shortly, and South Australia for     ***    a seminar this October.     Enjoy,     David Novak - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     The Spire Project : SpireProject.com and SpireProject.co.uk     NOTE FOR RETURN READERS: previously, we prepared this section by     converting work originally prepared in html. This became unproductive     so we have limited the internet _link_s in this FAQ and direct you to the     more lengthy articles prepared in html. All the required _link_s and     search tool forms reside in other parts of the Spire Project, like the     websites and free shareware     (http://spireproject.com/spire_latest_version.zip).                             Information Venues                                  Section 5     At the successful completion of his work in Nubia, Shakh was invited to     travel to Babylon as the assistant to the new ambassador. It had been     many years since Egyptians were in official contact with the residents     of the two rivers. All trade had been conducted through the Phoenicians     living along the Mediterranean coast. With these cities captured by the     Assyrians, new trade _link_s were needed.     The journey took much longer than Shakh had expected. Leaving Egypt in     a simple boat, it took many months to reach the shores of Lebanon,     where the tall cedar trees grew. These trees, essential to crafting     fine sea-worthy ships, was just one of the items sought by the     Egyptians.     Within two weeks of their arrival in the Assyrian capitol Nineveh, the     Ambassador fell ill and died. Without guidance, 18 months journey from     Egypt, Shakh stepped into the position.     His first task was to gather information both of the officials best to     approach, and of Egyptian goods most likely to interest the Assyrians.     With few local contacts, Shakh set about building connections with     other governments, dining with export officials, collecting information     about how other governments had succeeded and failed in their trade     requests with the Assyrians. Shakh knew success would depend on     approaching the most practical of officials while delicately     side-stepping the wishes of the officials who threatened, or felt     threatened, by Egypt.                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     While it may be practical to divide all information into a collection     of formats, information is also organized by others for our benefit.     Libraries, commercial data_base_s, journals, information archives, each     of these venues will assist you to find particular information. The     information is already gathered together, classified and organized for     your benefit. As a skilled researcher, you must be proficient in     finding information from these resources.                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - -                         United Nations Information              _link_s and more at http://spireproject.com/un.htm     The United Nations is involved in every aspect of international life -     from peace-keeping to the environment, from children's rights to air     safety. ... The UN system generates an enormous amount of information     on some of the most pressing issues the world faces ... press releases,     video and photographic footage, publications, briefing papers, etc.     Samir Sanbar, A Guide to Information at the United Nations.     United Nations documents are a recognized authority for any number of     international issues: social, legal and political. You certainly will     not be chastised for quoting United Nations statistics. Critical to     research, the UN is a collection of almost autonomous organizations     (called organs) with occasionally overlapping responsibilities,     distinct websites, and recorded as distinct publishers. As you approach     UN information, remember this is not a monolithic organization with     clearly defined roles. All drug efforts are not coordinated by the     UNDCP and all statistical work is not undertaken by the UN Statistical     Division.     UN Internet Resources     The UN website at www.un.org is just one entry point to UN information.     Of note, it contains a searchable archive of UN press releases     stretching back to 1995, 7 days of press briefings, an archive section     and information about UN publications. The real tool to use is UNIONS     (http://www3.itu.int/unions/search.cgi), a _meta_-search engine for many     of the larger UN organ websites.     UN Library Resources     The UN is an accomplished publisher, through their sales lists is not     particularly large. It is just that anything they do publish is of a     very high standard. Many documents are generated by the numerous     meetings and efforts, so there is a second _style_ of publishing, called     Masthead or UNDoc documents, that are usually just photocopies. UNDoc     are found in a collection of UN depository libraries around the world.     (There is a good list at http://www.un.org/MoreInfo/Deplib/). Thus we     have the UNDoc primary source documents and UN Sales Documents, given a     sales document number and sold and shelved in libraries as books.     S/1997/742/Add.1, Report of the Secretary-General on the situation     concerning Western Sahara: a brief breakdown of the estimated costs for     completing the voter identification process in Western Sahara.     Other documents have wider appeal...     E.96.I.5, The United Nations and the International Tribunals for the     former Yugoslavia and Rwanda - UN Blue Book Series     S/1997/742/Add.1, Abortion Policies: A Global Review, Population     studies No. 129: A three volume, 650 page country-by-country look at     abortion.     You can use the US Library of Congress Online Catalogue for a good     approximate search of UN Sales documents. A search of UNDoc documents     requires one of three comprehensive data_base_s, like UN-Bis Plus, though     you can also get the numbers to specific documents through UN     periodicals like the Yearbook of the United Nations and the United     Nations Chronicle.     With 300+ shelves of UN documents at depository libraries, the UNDoc     files are excellent records to history. The UNDoc Current Index (ceased     publication in 1996) is an extensive quarterly directory (of the     non-cumulative kind) just for this purpose.     Further tools are available to help the dedicated searcher, like     focused indexes and an annual list of current sales documents (also     online).     Trouble with Age     United Nations publications do suffer time lags. The best documents     appear well after the curve of public interest. Primary UNDOC documents     will take up to 6 months before becoming available at a UN depository     library and the Sales Documents are compiled after this. On the     positive side, UN archives frequently extend back to the 1950s.     Information Theory     The UN has existed since the 1950s. The systems established to manage     and distribute access to UN publications is at once both highly     sophisticated and out-of-date. It is truly amazing to see 300 shelves     of UN documents (a very big room mainly filled with stapled     photocopies).     At the same time, it is only a matter of time before the whole concept     of UN depository library is translated online. There is such potential     savings (there are 359 depository libraries in the world but the UN     pays for one in each country) and such an improvement in access.     All the _link_s and a few of the forms for searching UN information     reside at http://spireproject.com/un.htm     ___________________________________________________                            Government Information              _link_s and more at http://spireproject.com/gov.htm     We pay a high price in both direct and indirect taxes for our     government. These are intelligent people, paid to be informed.     Government experts and documents are thus generally detailed, factual     and reliable ... and helpful. It should not surprise you that     government documents have a high quality, tend to have a little problem     with time.     Central to finding government
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Archive-name: internet/info-research-faq/part5 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: April 2002 URL: http://spireproject.com Copyright: (c) 2001 David Novak Maintainer: David Novak < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it                   Information Research FAQ     (Part 5/6)             100 pages of search techniques, tactics and theory           by David Novak of the Spire Project (SpireProject.com)     Welcome. This FAQ addresses information literacy; the skills, tools and     theory of information research. Particular attention is paid to the     role of the internet as both a reservoir and gateway to information     resources.     The FAQ is written like a book, with a narrative and pictures. You have     found your way to part five, so do backtrack to the beginning. If you     are lost, this FAQ always resides as text at     http://spireproject.com/faq.txt and http://spireproject.co.uk/faq.txt     and with pictures at http://spireproject.com/faq.htm     ***    The Spire Project also includes a 3 hour public seminar _title_d     ***    Exceptional Internet Research. This is a fast paced seminar     ***    supported with a great deal of webbing, reaching to skills and     ***    research concepts beyond the ground covered on our website and     ***    this FAQ. http://spireproject.com/seminar.htm has a synopsis.     ***    I am in Europe, seminaring in Ireland and Europe though I     ***    will be returning to the US shortly, and South Australia for     ***    a seminar this October.     Enjoy,     David Novak - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     The Spire Project : SpireProject.com and SpireProject.co.uk                               Search Tactics.                                  Section 7     The Pharaoh called on Shakh to negotiate the annual royal donation with     the priests of Karnak temple complex. The Pharaoh was not wise in such     matters and had previously given far too much to the detriment of the     state. It was not wise to voice such sentiments. Shakh instead set     about negotiating a figure ample to their needs but insufficient to     further expand the temple complex.     Shakh wisely chose to negotiate up river at the Kom Ombo temple - away     from Karnak. Choosing words carefully, he deftly rejected the initial     estimate of the temple's needs, then spoke calmly, eyes tight, that the     Pharaoh had decided Karnak should supply the priests to the Egyptian     army - at current expenses.     It was a clever ruse. The negotiated royal donation was significantly     reduced and the priests were happy to be excluded from military duty.                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     If searching be a combination of science, art and experience, then the     science of searching is the easiest of the three. There are just a few     search elements to remember and search techniques to apply.     Firstly, there are the tactics associated with free text searching;     that of Boolean, proximity, truncation, field searching, target     searching and further enhancements.     Secondly, there are the basic classification schemes: the Dewey decimal     system (for books) The WIPO and US Patent Classification Systems (for     patents), the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes (for     industry) and a number of additional classification systems founded on     the same principles.     Thirdly, there is the way information is organized. A book has a     table-of-contents and an index, large directories like Kompass and Gale     Directory of Data_base_s are arranged with so many indexes (geographic,     subject, product, name) that the contact information is often separated     and numbered, then referenced as a number. The results are initially     confusing. Statistics similarly have ways of presenting information     (pie charts, line charts, charts with ranges which do not reach zero)     and again, this can be confusing the first time you see them.     Let's start with the technique associated with searching a text     data_base_.     Straight Word Searching:     All search situations allow you to ask for the presence of words in a     block of text. Obviously it helps if you ask for the right word or     words. If you ask for the right words, they you will quickly locate the     information you desire. For best results you obviously want to choose a     word or words which accurately describes what you are looking for.     Prepare to search the text several times with different terms, and     consider the possibility of different spellings for the same words.     Straight word searching is fairly ubiquitous on the internet. You can     always search a webpage with the search function of your web browser.     Alternatively, you can search by placing a large amount of text into a     word processor and using the in-built search functions. Your     word-processor can handle large files like website traffic logbooks and     archived files of past mailing list discussion. There are also     specialist tools like the shareware WinGrep     (http://www.mindspring.com/~bgrigsby/wingrep.html) for searching many     files on your computer hard drive. (Alternatively, consider     AgentRansack http://www.agentransack.com).     Text Fragments:     The simplest refinement to straight searching involves searching for     parts of a word - if you are interested in surfing, search for surf     better yet, search for surf with the space in front of the word.     Truncation:     Some search engines don't allow searches for text fragments, and you     must explain your intention by adding a truncation mark (usually * or     ?) to the ends of words. For most professional researchable data_base_s,     alga? will include both algae and algal (as in algal bloom). I was once     badly lost because of the spelling difference between aging and ageing.     There are a number of improvements on this concept to. Sometimes there     are special symbols for a non-space character car?a, sometimes there is     automatic awareness of multiple spellings (colour & color). Sometimes     there is even automatic awareness of synonyms. Often you are initially     unaware important information is indexed under slightly different     spelling, so truncation is strongly suggested for most searching.     Thesaurus:     An improvement on truncation is the opportunity to look directly at a     list of words, either keywords, or de_script_ors. This allows you to see     the range of spellings before you search. This is also ideal for     searches of company names or proper places so you can select only the     words you are interested in. In a simple way, some library catalogues     present subject searches in this way: a list of subject categories     arranged alphabetically.     Boolean operators:     Changing tack, searching for multiple words calls for and, or, not     concepts. I want this word and that word, but not another word. It is     simple enough. Many of the search engines allow for this with the     -sign, and commercial data_base_s often add brackets. Use of the not     symbol is frowned upon in textbooks (too easy to dismiss information     you are interested in it is said), but the 'and & or' is absolutely     necessary for complex questions like I want [(spaghetti or noodle) and     pasta] or (Italian and cuisine). With most internet search engines, but     not all commercial searches, you will find 'and' is assumed.     Proximity operators:     The next dramatic improvement fixes the position of words relative to     one another. In this category we have adjacent (often written as adj,     next, or inserted in quotes ), near (by how many words), or in the     same sentence. Often it is wise to stretch the distance a little     (within two), but where available, proximity is best way to remove the     dross without affecting the value of information. Patent near     Research is much more precise than Patent and Research .     Fields:     By separating information into different fields, we can selectively     search different portions of the information. I want the _title_ to show     the words Patent and the abstract to include the words Patent     Research . Field searching is a common way to refine a search, but be     aware searching _title_s is very likely to remove some desired     information, where as searching de_script_ors and not abstracts may     dramatically improve the content.     Date Fields:     Are you really interested in information more than 15 years old?     Library catalogues frequently have many aging books, and date limiting     is very wise.     Further Enhancements:     Ranking and the ability to search multiple data_base_s are some of the     further enhancements that select data_base_s permit. There are also     advances that do not have a grand impact - like natural language.     Natural interpretation allows the searcher to phrase a question with     common sentence structure. The computer then interprets what you want.     In theory natural language is liberating but in practice the strengths     of Boolean, proximity and field searching far exceed the benefits of     natural language searching. Lastly, there are special techniques like     target searching available on a few systems that bear discussing.     Sorting allows you to shape the presentation of the information. When     applied to financial information, this is particularly valuable. Alerts     allow you to automatically repeat a previous search and have the     information sent to you. Multiple data_base_ searching allows you to     search a collection of data_base_s concurrently. Ranking positions     certain information at the top. These techniques can be valuable in     certain circumstances.     These technical options improve the blunt system of
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Archive-name: internet/info-research-faq/part4 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: April 2002 URL: http://spireproject.com Copyright: (c) 2001 David Novak Maintainer: David Novak < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it                   Information Research FAQ     (Part 4/6)             100 pages of search techniques, tactics and theory           by David Novak of the Spire Project (SpireProject.com)     Welcome. This FAQ addresses information literacy; the skills, tools and     theory of information research. Particular attention is paid to the     role of the internet as both a reservoir and gateway to information     resources.     The FAQ is written like a book, with a narrative and pictures. You have     found your way to part four, so do backtrack to the beginning. If you     are lost, this FAQ always resides as text at     http://spireproject.com/faq.txt and http://spireproject.co.uk/faq.txt     and with pictures at http://spireproject.com/faq.htm     This FAQ is an element of the Spire Project http://spireproject.com,     the primary free reference for information research and an important     resource for search assistance.     ***    The Spire Project also includes a 3 hour public seminar _title_d     ***    Exceptional Internet Research. This is a fast paced seminar     ***    supported with a great deal of webbing, reaching to skills and     ***    research concepts beyond the ground covered on our website and     ***    this FAQ. http://spireproject.com/seminar.htm has a synopsis.     ***    I am in Europe, seminaring in Ireland and Europe though I     ***    will be returning to the US shortly, and South Australia for     ***    a seminar this October.     Enjoy,     David Novak - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     The Spire Project : SpireProject.com and SpireProject.co.uk     NOTE FOR RETURN READERS: previously, we prepared this section by     converting work originally prepared in html. This became unproductive     so we have limited the internet _link_s in this FAQ and direct you to the     more lengthy articles prepared in html. All the required _link_s and     search tool forms reside in other parts of the Spire Project, like the     websites and free shareware     (http://spireproject.com/spire_latest_version.zip).                            Information by Field                                  Section 6                              Country Profiles            _link_s and more at http://spireproject.com/country.htm     Certain questions require country specific data. The internet is a fine     source for this kind of information, dominated by data from large     international organizations (the UN, World Bank and WHO) and government     departments (CIA, UK Foreign Consular Office, Health Canada, Australian     Department of Foreign Affairs). This works in our favour: such     information attains a higher standard of quality than might otherwise     be expected on the internet. The down side: current information is     difficult to locate. Further commercial compilations exist with     particular strengths in economic analysis.     The Spire Project maintains a very fine html article on country     profiles, in many ways a flagship for our approach to assisted     research. All the _link_s are on this article, so we will merely describe     available resources here. Start at http://spireproject.com/country.htm     As a fine example of liberating information from previously limited     circulation, country-specific data has flowed from many a government     and quasi-government institution. So much information, of such high     quality, has become available that several commercial interests have     abandoned the field altogether.     * International Travel Advisory Reports from USA, Canada, Australia and     the UK cover details of importance to travelers like health care,     crime, current security issues. These travel advisories only mildly     overlap so try to read each one and take note of the preparation date.     * Country Health Reports are released online from the CDC, Health     Canada, World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health     Organization (PAHO).     * General and Demographic Country Profiles originate from the CIA, [US]     Library of Congress, US Department of State, UNICEF, US Census Bureau,     World Bank and the UN Statistical Division.     * Social profiles and detailed social incident reporting originates     from Amnesty International , the Red Cross, US Committee for Refugees,     the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), US     Department of State, Refugees.org cover Human Rights, Refugees and     Armed Conflict in great detail.     * Economic Country Profiles are released by the governments of New     Zealand, Australia, United States, The OECD and the World Bank. More     market related profiles also exist from the EU, the US and the World     Trade Organization (WTO).     What this means:     The list of publishers above is literally a Who's Who of international     diplomacy and observation. _embed_ded within this field is also a story     of the liberation of information previously published in different and     predominantly closed systems. As each individual publication emerges     online, it adds to the wealth of information from other sources. Taken     collectively, we have a powerful trend giving rise to very high quality     information - a trend not unique to country profiles. In time we will     see this trend transform many information fields.     For years I was aware of a small binder by the front desk of the US     consulate help desk. The binder contained the latest bulletins and     alerts thought relevant to overseas travelers. Today, you are far more     likely to see this electronically as the US International Travel     Advisory Reports, delivered electronically at     http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html     Almost all of the electronic resources, with the notable exception of     the Country Indicators for Foreign Policy (CIFP) by the Canadian     Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Norman     Paterson School of International Affairs, all these electronic     resources were previously published in paper. So the above list is     really a list of pre-existing publications now released on the     internet. This is both delightful, since we now have rapid access to     very fine publications, and delightful, since we can look forward to a     future with country profiles specifically designed for the web.     The library resources, like the Europa World Year Book (now in its     37th edition) and the Compendium of Social Statistics and Indicators     by the United Nations, publish data very similar to other publications     currently online. The notable exceptions are the publications of the     Far Eastern Economic Review and the Economist. These two financial     papers publish economic profiles both in print, and through their     periodical. This kind of data is a little higher quality than that     found online, and does not suffer the time-lag which is the one     accusation we can level against government information.     The commercial country profiles includes PERC (Political and Economic     Risk Consultancy), the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Bank of     America World Information Services, and then a number of     quasi-government or government publications for sale from Australian     Dept of Foreign Affairs, US Embassies and the OECD. Additional     publications exist and fall into one of these two categories.     The initial alternative information includes reading regional papers     and periodicals or reading and searching current news. For more depth,     there are international policy journals and scholarly journals with     expert commentary under peer review, or for simple questions, the     Ambassador, Consulate and Representatives both of your country and the     target country can help you answer specific questions.     Country Profiles makes for a very good microcosm of information     organization in action. Let us focus on how available country profiles     have changed over the last few years. We have a few commercial     publications, being offset by a range of free publications emerging     from government and quasi-government sources, and encroached by other     information resources of related information.     ___________________________________________________                              Import Statistics     Once you have decided to reach for trade statistics, reach for the     best. All the general statistics and trade _link_s are of limited     relevance compared to knowing the volume of tuna exported to Japan. We     can try to identify specific exporting firms, potential markets and     existing trade patterns. We list here statistics prepared by the     national statistical agencies, certain directories of possible     interest, and a data_base_ of port traffic.     Trade Data Online     Trade Data Online     (strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrkti/tdst/engdoc/tr_homep.html) is a service by     Industry Canada, presenting trade information from Statistics Canada     and the US Bureau of the Census. This free data_base_ presents trade data     for both the US and Canada. Results either list imports and exports by     product (down to the level of pulp of wood and the like , or     footwear , or imports and exports by industry ( fruit farms or     contract logging industry ).     In every way, this is a brilliant tool, except the depth of categories.     Results can be as specific as exports from British Columbia to     Afghanistan, divided by month in CA$ or US$. For more detail, we need     to reach for the paid services below.     Directories     Kompass directories list
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Archive-name: internet/info-research-faq/part6 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: April 2002 URL: http://spireproject.com Copyright: (c) 2001 David Novak Maintainer: David Novak < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it                   Information Research FAQ     (Part 6/6)             100 pages of search techniques, tactics and theory           by David Novak of the Spire Project (SpireProject.com)     Welcome. This FAQ addresses information literacy; the skills, tools and     theory of information research. Particular attention is paid to the     role of the internet as both a reservoir and gateway to information     resources.     The FAQ is written like a book, with a narrative and pictures. You have     found your way to part five, so do backtrack to the beginning. If you     are lost, this FAQ always resides as text at     http://spireproject.com/faq.txt and http://spireproject.co.uk/faq.txt     and with pictures at http://spireproject.com/faq.htm     ***    The Spire Project also includes a 3 hour public seminar _title_d     ***    Exceptional Internet Research. This is a fast paced seminar     ***    supported with a great deal of webbing, reaching to skills and     ***    research concepts beyond the ground covered on our website and     ***    this FAQ. http://spireproject.com/seminar.htm has a synopsis.     ***    I am in Europe, seminaring in Ireland and Europe though I     ***    will be returning to the US shortly, and South Australia for     ***    a seminar this October.     Enjoy,     David Novak - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     The Spire Project : SpireProject.com and SpireProject.co.uk                           Searching as Industry.                                  Section 9     Of interest to you now, the internet offers you a very good look at the     information industry. Most organizations involved in the information     industry publish exhaustive product de_script_ions on the net. Most     commercial products are delivered electronically.     Professional Search Resources     As a profession, researchers have diverse skills and needs. Constantly     working with information, in a competitive market, professional     information seekers are often starved for high quality information     about new research techniques, skills and sources. This can be found     through discussion groups like BusLib-l, websites on library science     like LisNews.com, associations like the Association of Independent     Information Professional (AIIP) and the Society of Competitive     Intelligence     Professionals (SCIP), events and conferences as listed in the journal     Online & CDROM Review.     As a more introductory resources, start with the a selection of books     and webpages like:     - The Intelligence Cycle[1], courtesy of the CIA library - a     single-page summary of the research process.     - The Information Broker's Handbook by Sue Rugge and Alfred     Glossbrenner, McGraw-Hill. Third Edition (1997) - a must-read for those     interested in the business side of information research.     - Secrets of the Super Searchers by Reva Basch. Unfortunately a 1993     book, but unique as a look into the field of information brokers.     Published by Eight Bit Books. (Dewey 025.524 BAS)     - Online is a good bimonthly magazine for information brokers. (Dewey     025.04).     There are a number of interesting periodicals, most owned and marketed     by Information Today Inc. BUBL lists a number more [2]. Others are     electronic publications, like LIBRES [3]: Library and Information     Science Research Electronic Journal, a biannual scholarly journal and     Information Research [4].     The commercial data_base_s of interest are LISA (Library and Information     Science Abstracts), ALISA (Australian LISA), Information Science and     Library Literature.     The _link_s for these resources and more are on the Spire Project at     http://spireproject.com/_link_s.htm#3     [1] http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/facttell/intcycle.htm     [2] http://bubl.ac.uk/journals/lis     [3] http://aztec.lib.utk.edu/libres/     [4] http://www.shef.ac.uk/~is/publications/infres/ircont.html                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     The Professional Search     Professional research demands a more effective, timely use of resources     at hand. It is challenging, and it is an occupation.     Unlike research undertaken for your own needs, professional researchers     often know little about the topic they are asked to investigate. We may     not know the phrases which accurately describe a specific concept, we     sometimes don't recognize gold if its labeled copper, but we have to do     everything fast - lest the cost escalate above the expectation of the     client.     Client? Yes, professional research starts with the client.     Professional research involves far less book and library work, and far     more interviewing, data_base_ access and online article purchasing. When     money is involved, time becomes very precious. The first luxury lost:     the luxury to get to know the topic in leisurely detail.     Instead, professional research starts with a careful de_script_ion of     exactly what information is desired (and why). You must quickly build a     good plan about who you will ask and where you will look. This is,     after all, your primary skill others have great difficulty in     duplicating - traversing the information sphere swiftly and skillfully.     Many researchers today can search data_base_s. Most researchers are     familiar with library work. Personal research has the added benefit of     being part of the learning process. So why reach for a professional?     The first unique skill we must refine is our knowledge of the research     tools. Computer data_base_s may be easily accessible, but are not easy to     search. Interviewing is conceptually simple, but is not simple in     practice. Each aspect of research can and must be refined.     The second unique skill: interpretation. Working with information     frequently allows us to better judge the reliability and bias of the     information we retrieve.     Most information you find will be tainted. Secondary expertise almost     always present information in a biased way. You will counter this bias     both by being aware of the bias and by interviewing someone with a     different view. An inventor proclaims a devise in near completion - do     we believe? Obviously it requires further study. This is often lost on     amateur researchers - by collecting information from a variety of     different resources, with a range of bias, we can create a superior     assessment of the value of each item of information. Research _base_d     solely on government research, no matter how well done, is     unprofessional.     The third unique skill is speed. We must be able to provide research as     a service, as a business, quickly. This goes beyond research to the     banal work of copyright and legal protection, selecting effective     research tools, finding fast expertise to supplement your own.     The skills of professional research are like the artist. They take a     lifetime to learn. The work is just business.                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     The Data_base_ Industry     The commercial information sphere existed in the 1970's and earlier. It     is far more developed, far better organized, far better funded, almost     always far more valuable and expensive than every other research     resource.     For the most part, commercial information is arranged reasonably     uniformly in large data_base_s of full-text or bibliographic information.     Some data_base_s are small, single source documents, while others are     vast unfocused collections of, for example, all the news from the last     15 years.     Most directories and journals can be made into a data_base_, but     single-source data_base_s do not enjoy much financial success. The market     is too limited and the cost of promotion too high (except in a local     market with newspapers). To overcome this difficulty, single sources     are grouped together into larger collections of data_base_s on a     particular topic. These large data_base_ groups have become primary tools     in commercial research.     Developing these data_base_s requires considerable expertise and expense.     Sometimes data requires abstracting, interpreting, and as with some     Lexis-Nexis and WestLaw data_base_s, even expert legal interpretation.     Sometimes firms develop a portfolio of data_base_s. Sometimes firms build     just one.     The marketing and consumer billing of such data_base_s is then provided     by a relatively small collection of large data_base_ retailers. A list     can be found in our Commercial Data_base_s article. As an indication of     the size of this market, Knight-Ridder sold Dialog & Datastar for a     figure approaching half a billion dollars.     This industry consisting of a wide collection of p_layer_s, each     improving and developing the information from individual periodicals,     journals, news items - all very confusing for the end user. This is     elegantly illustrated by the data_base_ de_script_ions for Lexis-Nexis     data_base_s (their preferred term is libraries). See     http://www.lexis-nexis.com/lncc/sources/ as an example of specific     data_base_s. In particular, see their library on patents.     Many single-sources appear in different commercial data_base_s. Further,     different data_base_s sometimes include different information from the     same single-source. One data_base_ may include just abstracts, another     may include fulltext, chemical indexing and more.     As a result, most researchers are unfamiliar with what exactly is being     searched.     This state of
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