Skip Navigation

Help

Help and assistance for using this site

Our Sponsors

Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality web sources with smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research.
ebrary - One eContent platform. Many ways to use it.
ISI Web of Knowledge

ADAT User Guide

Contents

This user guide is also available in PDF format.

Introduction

The JISC Academic Database Assessment Tool (ADAT) allows users to compare title lists for major bibliographic and full text databases, and compare key features of database and eBook content platforms.

Sources of Data

All data presented in searches and comparisons is shown as provided by the participating databases and platforms. Please visit our About ADAT page for more information on our data sourcing and comparison method.

Compare Titles

Search

The search allows you to search database title listings using any combination of available fields. You may:

  • Select databases to compare
  • Enter text (e.g. search by title) and pick options (e.g. choose a country) to refine your search
  • Clear the form using the links provided

Titles will be found which match ALL of the criteria specified.

Active & Inactive Titles

By default, title listings are filtered to include only 'active' titles within the databases selected for comparison. We define a title as 'active' if coverage within the relevant database is current and ongoing.

To include both 'active' and 'inactive' titles in your results, or 'inactive' titles only, simply change the ACTIVE field selection on the search form, or click on the relevant link on the search results page to filter or widen your results.

Your 'Current Search'

Your most recent search will be remembered and will form the basis of any subsequent comparison views or downloads. When you return to the search page you may edit or clear search settings as required.

Upper- and Lower Case Searching

Note that all searches are not case-sensitive, so 'Journal', 'journal' and 'JOURNAL' are all treated as equivalents.

Searching for Dates with '<' and '>'

You can search date values using the following comparison operators:

  • < - Years less than the specified year. eg. '<1995' will find years before 1995.
  • > - Years greater than the specified year. eg. '>1995' will find years after 1995.
  • <= - Years less than or equal to the specified year. eg. '<=1995' will find years before and including 1995.
  • >= - Years greater than or equal to the specified year. eg. '>=1995' will find years after and including 1995.

Searching for Date Ranges

You are also able to search for a start year and/or end year within a range by using a hyphen to separate the years (eg. 1995-1999).

Search Results

Summary

After running a search the search results page will provide the following summary information:

  • A reminder of the options selected in your search. It is always worth "sanity-checking" this to ensure that your search includes the options you intended.
  • A statement of how many matches were found for your search (if any). If you don't find any matches, try going back to the Search and broadening your criteria.

Note that not all suppliers have been able to provide information for all fields which appear on the search form. A search which makes use of additional search filters (e.g. Publisher, Language etc.) will only find matches where suppliers have provided the relevant information.

Title Listings

Users are able to 'drill down' into the search results to view title listings by clicking on the relevant count on the search results page:

  • Titles from Each Individual Database - a list of titles for each separate database included in the current search.
  • Overlapping Titles: Combinations of TWO Databases - title listings for all possible combinations of two databases included in the current search.
  • Overlapping Titles: Combinations of THREE Databases - title listings for all possible combinations of three databases included in the current search.

A Full Title Listing may also be viewed which displays all search results for all of the databases included in the current search.

Venn Diagrams

Venn diagrams provide a visual representation of unique and overlapping titles within your current search. Simply click on a segment or label to view a title listing.

A comparison of two or three databases will display a Venn diagram by default. A comparison of four or five databases will allow you view a Venn diagram for any combination of two or three databases within the comparison by clicking on the relevant 'Venn Diagram' links.

Paging Through Titles

When viewing a title listing, you can page through results by clicking on the 'Next Page' and 'Prev Page' links. You can also jump forwards and backwards in larger chunks where appropriate (e.g. by 100s and 1000s of titles).

Viewing a Title

If you wish to view the full details for a given title, you can click on the relevant match from within a title listing. This will display all of the information known about the chosen title from all of the databases within the ADAT system.

Downloading your Search Results

Downloading your Results

A link allowing you to download search results appears beneath each title listing. The file format will be comma-separated text (CSV) which can be opened in all common spreadsheet programs, including Microsoft Excel. Note that if you are downloading a large file you can continue to use the ADAT site while the download continues in the background.

Which Results will be Downloaded?

When downloading data, the results set used will always be the result of your current search. The current search options appear at the top of the download as a reminder. If you wish to download a different set you can use the search page to create a new search.

Database 'About' & 'Dashboard' Pages

You can view further information about each database being compared by clicking on the 'About' and 'Dashboard' links that appear next to the database name:

About About - This contains descriptive information about the database provided directly by the database supplier, including a brief summary, details of the database's inclusion policy, and other useful information.

Dashboard Dashboard - A visual dashboard is also provided for each database based on the title list data provided by the supplier. The dashboards include pie charts showing content coverage (abstracts / citations / full text / cover-to-cover), a bar graph representing coverage by date, a world map highlighting coverage by country, and top 10 listings of most commonly occurring languages and publishers.

Database Title List Updates

This page shows the date that each title list within the ADAT site was last updated by the relevant database provider, complete with colour coding: 'green' (updated within the last 6 months), 'amber' (updated within the last year) and 'red' (updated over a year ago). Suppliers are encouraged to supply new listings as frequently as possible to ensure that the ADAT database remains fully up-to-date.

Compare Database Platforms

Key Features

You can compare some of the key features of database platforms within the Database Platforms tab. Check two or more platforms of interest, and submit your selection to view a comparison table.

Platform Details

For more information about a particular platform, click on the relevant platform name.

Compare eBook Platforms

Key Features

Similarly, you are able to compare the functionality of eBook platforms within the eBook Platforms tab. Select two or more eBook platforms to compare, and submit the form for a table comparing key features.

eBook Platform Details

For more information about a particular eBook platform, click on the platform's name.

Sign Up for Alerts

You can sign up to be alerted by e-mail whenever database title listings are updated within the Alerts tab. To receive alerts, simply submit your e-mail address. To unsubscribe, follow the instructions provided.