NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1231314
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Oct
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Understanding Similarities and Differences between Two Prominent Web-Based Chemical Information and Data Retrieval Tools: Comments on Searches for Research Topics, Substances, and Reactions
Mutton, Troy; Ridley, Damon D.
Journal of Chemical Education, v96 n10 p2167-2179 Oct 2019
Overall, the major chemical information retrieval products Reaxys and SciFinder have several similarities such as numbers of document records, numbers of characterized substances (counting the PubChem Compounds integrated in Reaxys), and, possibly, numbers of different chemical reactions. Reaxys has well over 100 times the number of experimental property data points, all of which may be displayed, and most may be searched, which opens unique and important opportunities, particularly to connect substances with their properties in a precise way. The products have similar structure search capabilities for substances and reactions, but they differ extensively in their approach to text search functionality; SciFinder offers algorithmic interpretation of natural language queries (NLQs) for text entries, while Reaxys offers users the choice of algorithmic NLQ interpretation and of user-controlled searches through graphic user interfaces called querylets. The NLQ interpretations are displayable in Reaxys through the function Edit in Query Builder, but the interpretations in SciFinder are not available. The NLQ algorithms in Reaxys may direct users to document, substance (including specific property information), reaction records, and (protein) targets, and, thus, are much more extensive than those in SciFinder. In addition to comparing content and functionality we provide updates and explanations of search comparisons published previously, and finally we suggest some of the issues that educators in the field of chemical information retrieval may need to consider when preparing their coursepacks.
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A