INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
INSPEC Database Overview
2
WebSPIRS 4.1 implementation overview
3
Help
Search Screen
Search Builder
Limit facilities
Index Screen
Thesaurus Screen
Search Results
3
3
4
5
6
7
7
Searching INSPEC on WebSPIRS
8
Search Tools
8
Boolean and proximity operators
Adjacency
Hyphens
Truncation
Using INSPEC fields
Numerical fields
Thesaurus
Classification
Chemical Indexing
Numerical Data Indexing
Astronomical Object Indexing
Subject Search examples
Using Subject Terms, Classification Codes and Treatment Codes
Chemical Search examples
Numerical search examples
Astronomical search examples
Treatment Codes/Record Types search examples
8
9
9
9
10
10
10
11
14
15
16
17
17
20
20
21
21
Bibliographic searching
22
Quick guide to numerical quantities and their units
24
Alphabetical guide to INSPEC fields
25
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
INSPEC Database Overview
INSPEC is the world’s leading English language information service providing
access to the world’s scientific and technical papers in physics, electrical
engineering, electronics, communications, control engineering, computing
and information technology, and is a continuation of Science Abstracts first
published by the Institution of Electrical Engineers in 1898.
The INSPEC Database, which lies at the centre of this service, dates back to
1969, and over 4000 scientific and technical journals and some 2000
conference publications are scanned each year. The Database now contains
over 6 million bibliographic records and is growing at the rate of 330,000
records each year.
From the Database, INSPEC produces a wide range of services in both
printed and machine-readable forms, designed to meet the needs of
scientists, engineers and managers in education, research, industry and
business.
Although INSPEC provides a comprehensive index to literature in physics,
electrical and electronic engineering, computer science and information
technology, it also has significant coverage in interdisciplinary areas such as
materials science, oceanography, nuclear engineering, geophysics,
biomedical engineering and biophysics.
Each record in the INSPEC database contains an English-language title and
descriptive abstract, together with full bibliographic details which include the
journal or other publication title, the author’s name and affiliation and the
language of the original document. All of these may be searched, as well as
INSPEC’s extensive range of subject classification and indexing systems.
In addition to searching INSPEC for information for your research projects,
you can also use the database for:

current awareness

new product information

technological forecasting

competitive intelligence

patent-related searching
The data in the INSPEC Database belongs to the Institution of Electrical
Engineers and is protected by international copyright laws.
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
WebSPIRS 4.1 implementation overview
Help
Help on WebSPIRS is always available online. You can click the
button on the right-hand toolbar of the Main Search Screen to
get to any Help topic either via Help Contents or Help Topic Index. You can
also click in any screen on the
icon to enter context-sensitive Help.
Search Screen
The Main Search Screen consists of the:

Search Box for entering your keyword(s) using Boolean and other
operators (see p. 8)

Limit facilities (checkboxes and
your Search’ screen (see p. 5)
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
button leading to the ‘Limit
3
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes

button which transfers you to an alternative search screen
with two search boxes and a range of limit facilities (see below);

Right-hand toolbar which enables you to enter other screens (Help,
Index, Thesaurus, Database Information);

‘Databases in use’ box with drop-down menu;

button which enables you to select your preferred output
format; and

button for entering your previous search(es).
Search Builder
The Search Builder is an alternative search screen with two search boxes
which are connected with Boolean operators. This allows you even more
flexibility for building your search by combining various concepts using
different fields.
Each search box allows you to limit your term(s) to a number of fields you
can select from a drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can select the limits
via the Set Other Limits screen.
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Limit facilities
The Main Search Screen includes several checkboxes which enable you to
limit your search by various criteria:

select a specific field (Title, Author, Subject) or leave the default Words
anywhere option;

select a specific language (English, French, German, Spanish) or leave
the default Any Language option;
The
button in either the Main Search Screen or the Search
Builder Screen leads you to the Limit Your Search Screen which allows you
to set limits for your next search from a number of Limit Fields indicated in
the table on p 6. These fields can be also used in the search statements
either in the Main Search Screen or Search Builder Screen using the
following formats:
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Limit Fields
Label
Search statements
Publication Year
PY
1999 in py
or py=1999
Record Type
RT
journal-article in rt or rt= journal-article
Country of Publication
CP
france in cp
or cp=france
Language
LA
french in la
or la =french
Subfile
SF
c in sf
or sf=c
Treatment Codes
TC
review in tc
or tc=review
Update Code
UC
199921 in uc
or uc=199921
Index Screen
When you click the
button on the right-hand toolbar of the
Main Search screen, you are transposed to the Index screen. In the dropdown menu of the Field box you can see a range of fields which you can
browse or search in this screen.
These fields include:

General Index (Free Index Terms)

Limit Fields (shown above)

CC - Classification Codes

AN - Accession number

RF - Number of References
To browse through any of these fields, you select the field from the dropdown list, start typing a term in the Term box and click the
button. WebSPIRS displays an alphabetical list of the terms contained in the
selected field, beginning with the term you typed, and indicates in
parentheses the number of records that contain each term.
To search for one term, click on the term (rather than its checkbox). When
searching for more terms, WebSPIRS combines them with the ‘or operator’.
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Thesaurus Screen
By clicking the
button on the WebSPIRS Search screen, you
will enter the Thesaurus Subject List. When you type a term or a part of a
term into the Term box and click the
button, you will be able to
find Thesaurus term(s) (Descriptors) that are relevant to your search.
Alternatively, you can scroll through the alphabetical Subject Index using the
and
buttons until you find the required term.
TheThesaurus can be also entered from the Search results by clicking on
any of the Descriptors. The use of the Thesaurus as a search tool is
described on p10, search examples are shown on p.16-19.
Search Results
Your Search Results will appear automatically in a Record Display screen
unless you will switch off this feature via the Change Display options (in this
case you will stay in the Main Search Screen). Your search results will also
appear in the Search History table at the bottom of the Search Screen. You
can display any of the results when you click on the word Display in the
Results column of the Search History table
WebSPIRS allows you to select the type of display which is best suited to
your requirements. To change display options, you click on the
button and WebSPIRS displays the Record Display Options
page. You can select:

Number of records to show at once (up to 100)

Fields to be included

Complete Record

Citation and Abstract

Citation Only

Title Only

Specific Fields

Fields by which you want to sort your records

Field names to be used (long or short labels)

Intermediate results to be shown or switched off

Whether or not the display should automatically follow the search
Click on the
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
button to implement the change.
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
The search sets are numbered #1, #2 etc. and can be entered in this format
into the Search box for further processing . Alternatively, you can click the
checkbox alongside of any search sets and then click the
button to re-enter the search statement(s) into the Search box. You can also
combine any of the selected (checked) sets: choose the AND or OR Boolean
operator at the left-hand corner of the Search History table and click the
button to initiate new search.
Searching INSPEC on WebSPIRS
How to search
To start searching in the Main Search Screen, type a keyword (one of the
main concepts of your search problem) into the Search Term box and click
the
button. Examine the search results. Your first search can
then be improved by adding additional concepts using a number of available
search tools such as Boolean operators, Limit fields, Thesaurus,
Classification, etc., as explained below. You can also use the additional
facilities of the Search Builder to continue your search in this screen.
Search Tools
Boolean and proximity operators
These are used to link search terms or fields. Depending on the
operators used, your search will be broadened or narrowed.

or operator finds records that contain either or both of two terms. It is
used to broaden a search. For example, when searching for computers
or networks, results would include all records where the search field
contains either the word computers or the word networks or both words.

and operator finds records that contain both of the terms and thus is
used to narrow a search. For example, computers and networks would
include all records where the record contains both the word computers
and the word networks. (Note: the terms do not have to appear in the
same field; this is achieved by using ‘with operator’, see below).

not operator finds records that contain one term but not another. It is
used to narrow a search by excluding specific terms. For example,
computers not networks would include all records where the search field
contains the word computers but not the word networks.
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes

with operator finds records that contain both terms in the same field. For
example, when searching for computers with networks, the word
computers and the word networks would both have to appear in the Title,
or they would both have to appear in Abstract etc. This operator can thus
be used to make a search more precise than that using ‘and operator’.

near operator finds records that contain both of the terms in the same
sentence. It is particularly useful when searching in Chemical and
Numerical fields (see p. 20)

in operator finds records that contain a term in a specified field. For
example, computer networks in ti will restrict the search to the Title field
only.
Adjacency
The near operator can be used to find terms in specified proximity to each
other. For example, computer near2 networks will find records where the
same sentence contains the word networks within two words of computers in
either direction (counting the word computer as one). For example, the
search computer near2 networks will retrieve records containing the phrases
neural networks for computers, computer communication networks, and
networks of computer servers.
Hyphens
In the Subject fields (Descriptors and Identifiers), it is possible to broaden a
search by omitting a hyphen from the search term and thus opting for a ‘word
search’ rather than ‘phrase search’. This technique is useful particularly for
retrieving a term which is not a first word in a search. For example,
‘integrated-circuits in de’
retrieves the precise phrase only, while
‘integrated circuits in de’
retrieves also the term ‘integrated logic circuits’ etc.
Hyphens are thus another tool which can be used to broaden or to narrow a
search according to search requirements.
Truncation
The truncation symbol * serves as a substitute for any string of zero or
more characters. For example, the search electr* retrieves any record
containing electrical, electricity, electrical-engineering, electronics, etc.
The wildcard symbol ? serves as a substitute for one character or none.
For example, the search colo?r retrieves both colour and color.
You can use truncation or wildcards anywhere in your search term, except as
the first character.
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Using INSPEC fields
Numerical fields
In addition to the ‘in’ and ‘=‘ operators, several special operators are available
for searching numerical values in the following fields:
Field
Label
Astronomical Object Indexing
AI
Accession Number
AN
Numerical Data Indexing
NI
Publication Year
PY
Number of References
RF
Update Code
UC
Operator
Function
Search examples
in or =
equals to
py in 1998 or py=1998
<
less than
py<1998
>
greater than
py>1998
<=
less than or equal to
py<=1998
>=
greater than or equal to
py>=1998
-
within a range
py=1997-1998
INSPEC Thesaurus
The INSPEC Thesaurus is a subject key to the INSPEC Database and
provides a powerful search aid. The 1999 edition contains approximately
16,000 terms of which some 8,300 terms are preferred terms (Descriptors).
Each INSPEC record is typically assigned several Descriptors from the
INSPEC Thesaurus.
A typical entry for a Thesaurus term and its associated terms is below:
Subject: aircraft control
SCOPE NOTE: Introduced: January 1989
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Previously indexed under: aerospace control; aircraft
Related Classification(s): C3360L (Aerospace control)
USED FOR : helicopter control
More Specific (narrower) Terms:
 aircraft landing guidance (+ )
More General (broader) Terms:

aerospace control
 aircraft
Related Terms:

aircraft computers

aircraft instrumentation

attitude control

avionics

instrument landing systems

microwave landing systems
To find suitable Thesaurus Terms for your search you can:

browse the Thesaurus Subject List in Thesaurus Screen (see p. 7)

use Search Results from a trial search - click on any of the Descriptors
retrieved to initiate a new search using the selected descriptor.
Exploding
This tool allows you to select a Thesaurus Term and all of its narrow terms in
one step - just click the
button and the system will combine all
the narrow terms with the or operator. For example, by ‘exploding’ the
Thesaurus term ‘steel’, you will additionally retrieve in one search the terms:
alloy steel
austenitic steel
carbon steel
tool steel
martenitic steel
stainless steel.
The Explode tool is therefore very useful when you want to broaden your
original search.
INSPEC Classification
The INSPEC Classification is a powerful search tool which enables you to
limit your search to predetermined sections of the INSPEC Database.
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
The INSPEC Classification is divided into four sections. Codes begin with
A, B, C or D, where:
A = Physics
B = Electrical Engineering and Electronics
C = Computers and Control Engineering
D = Information Technology
A typical section from the INSPEC Classification is as follows:
b5210
b5210C
b5210E
b5210H
Electromagnetic wave propagation
(inc. diffraction, scattering and reflection)
Radiowave propagation
Light propagation
Electromagnetic wave propagation in plasma
All codes starting with b52... are also indexed as b52. As a result you do not
have to use truncation to retrieve a group of codes starting with b52.
However, if the required code is longer than three characters, you do need to
use truncation. For example, ‘b5210 in cc’ will retrieve only records which
deal with electromagnetic wave propagation in general, whereas ‘b5210* in
cc’ will also retrieve all records which deal with radiowave propagation, light
propagation and electromagnetic wave propagation in plasma.
At least one classification code is assigned for the main subject matter of
each record, and additional codes may be assigned for subsidiary subjects.
Codes are always assigned to the most specific level possible and can be
assigned from one or more of the four sections of the Database depending
upon the subject matter. This cross-classification is common between the A,
B and C sections of the database. However, there are very few records
cross-classified from the B or C sections of the database to the D section and
vice versa, and none between A and D. The reason for this is that the A, B
and C sections are of a purely scientific and technical nature which are of
interest to scientists and engineers whereas the D section covers more
commercial and management aspects of applied technology.
Search examples using Classification Codes can be found on p. 17.
Outline of INSPEC Classification
A - Physics
A0
General
12
A1
The physics of elementary
particles and fields
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
A8
A9
Nuclear physics
Atomic and molecular
physics
Fundamental areas of
phenomenology
Fluids, plasmas and
electric discharges
Condensed matter:
structure, thermal and
mechanical properties
Condensed matter:
electronic structure,
electrical, magnetic, and
optical properties
Cross-disciplinary physics
and related areas of
science and technology
Geophysics, astronomy
and astrophysics
B2
B3
B4
B5
B6
B7
B8
Components, electron
devices and materials
Magnetic and
superconducting materials
and devices
Optical materials and
applications, electrooptics and optoelectronics
Electromagnetic fields
Communications
Instrumentation and
special applications
Power systems and
applications
D - Information Technology
C- Computers and Control
C0
General and management
topics
C1
Systems and control
theory
C3
Control technology
C4
Numerical analysis and
theoretical computer
topics
C5
Computer hardware
C6
Computer software
C7
Computer applications
B - Electrical Engineering &
Electronics
B0
General topics,
engineering mathematics
and materials science
B1
Circuit theory and circuits
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
D1
D2
D3
D4
D5
General and management
aspects
Applications
General systems and
equipment
Office automation communications
Office automation computing
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Chemical Indexing
INSPEC's Chemical Indexing (CI) is a controlled indexing system for
inorganic substances and material systems. It is designed to overcome a
number of problems which arise in searching for chemical substances in
uncontrolled index terms. These include:

Non-stoichiometric compounds or alloys which may be represented in
several ways, e.g. GaAlAs or GaxAl1-x As.

Chemical formulae that have the same spellings as common English
words, e.g., GaP (gap),

Some chemicals have the same letters and are differentiated by the use
of upper and lower case, e.g., Co (cobalt) or CO (carbon monoxide).
Role indicators
Each chemical substance which is significant for the record is assigned one
of three basic role indicators:
role
definition
examples
el
element
Si; He; Fe
bin
binary (two components)
GaAs; He-Ne laser; FeMn alloy
ss
system (three or more
components)
H2SO4; He-Ne-Ar laser; GaAlAs;
Some substances may be assigned one or more special roles which are of
significance to solid state physics. These are:
int
interface system
sur
surface or substrate
ads
adsorbate
dop
dopant
The system automatically assigns the appropriate basic role and breaks the
substances into their basic components.
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS- User Notes
Examples of Chemical Substance Indexing:
H2SO4
H2SO4/ss SO4/ss H2/ss O4/ss H/ss S/ss
P doped Si
Si:P/bin Si/bin P/bin Si/el P/el P/dop
Cu-Al alloy
CuAl/bin Cu/bin Al/bin
Si-Au interface
Si-Au/int Si/int Au/int Si/el Au/el
GaAlAs
GaAlAs/ss Ga/ss Al/ss As/ss
GaxAl1-xAs
GaAlAs/ss Ga/ss Al/ss As/ss
Ga0.25Al0.75As
Ga0.25A10.75As/ssGa0.25/ssA0.75/ssGa/ssAl/ssAs/ss
The user has a choice to search by combining the components together
using the near operator or where a precise formula is known, by searching
for the complete substance. For search examples see p. 20.
It is also possible to search directly the following groups:
Al2O3
BrO3
Fe2O4
MoO4
P2O7
TaO3
Al5O12
ClO3
Fe3O4
NbO3
P4O12
TiO3
AsO4
CO3
Fe5O12
Nb2O5
SeO3
VO3
As2O3
CrO3
Ga5O12
Nb2O7
SeO4
VO4
Bi2O3
CrO4
GeO2
NO2
SiO2
V2O5
BO3
Cr2O3
GeO3
NO3
SiO4
WO3
BO4
Cr2O7
IO3
PO3
SO3
WO4
B2O3
FeO3
MgO3
PO4
SO4
ZrO3
B3O6
Fe2O3
MnO4
P2O5
S2O3
Numerical Data Indexing
Numerical data indexing overcomes problems due to the variety of ways in
which authors may express a particular value. For example, to find all the
references to power stations generating between 20 and 30 MW, values in
this range may be expressed as 29.2 MW, 27500 kW, 25 megawatts, 29
MWatt, etc., making it impossible to achieve comprehensive retrieval.
INSPEC's numerical data indexing standardises the format:
power of 25 megawatts:
range of 30 Hz to 18 kHz:
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
power 2.5E+07 W
frequency 3.0E+01 to 1.8+04 Hz
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Values are expressed in floating point format, e.g., 1.8E+04 for 18,000 and
9.5E-01 for 0.95. Each numerical index term has the following format:
Quantity Value (to Value) Unit where

quantity represents the physical quantity, e.g., temperature, wavelength;

unit is of the SI type, e.g. metre (M), hertz (Hz), kelvin (K).

value is the actual value or range expressed in floating point format
A quick guide to numerical quantities and units is presented on p.24, search
examples are shown on p. 20.
Astronomical Object Indexing
Astronomical object designations have been indexed in a separate field since
1995. This allows named or numbered objects to be retrieved more
efficiently. The designations are of the following types:

Name-based acronyms. For example, LMC is an acronym for the Large
Magellanic Cloud. Objects in constellations, such as R Sct, appear with
the IAU-approved three-letter abbreviation for the constellation.

Catalogue-based acronyms. A designation containing an acronym for
the catalogue followed by the catalogue entry number. This number may
be sequential, such as NGC 204, or it may represent an approximate
location in the sky, usually in terms of right ascension and declination
(such as PSR 1913+16) or Galactic coordinates (such as
G 345.01+1.79).

Positional information only. For example, 013022+30233.
Note: INSPEC follows the guidelines produced by the International
Astronomical Union. A thesaurus-type document entitled "Nomenclature of
Astronomical Catalogue Designations" is available upon request from
INSPEC.
For search examples using Astrononomical Object Indexing see p. 21.
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS- User Notes
Subject Search examples
Using Subject Terms, Classification Codes and Treatment Codes
Example 1
Cockpit displays
This example illustrates the use of Subject Terms and the use of Thesaurus.
Concept
Search Hints:
#
Search statement
Hits
cockpit
displays
start in SU field - use ‘in
operator’ or tick check box
Subject
#1
cockpit display? in
su
250
aircraft
displays
identify Thesaurus term
(examine Descriptors field
in the Search Results or
use the Thesaurus Subject
List)
#2
aircraft-displays in
su, de
574
broaden the search by
removing hyphen from the
search term
#3
aircraft displays in
su,de
589
narrow the search by
searching in Desriptors
field (exclude Identifiers)
#4
aircraft-displays in
de
551
head-up
displays
associated term (found via
Thesaurus)
#5
head-up displays
in su,de
150
helmetmounted
displays
associated term (found via
Thesaurus)
#6
helmet mounted
displays in su,de
177
aircraft or
head-up or
helmet
mounted
displays
Include sets #5 and #6 if
they are relevant to your
search.
#7
#2 or #5 or #6
786
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Example 2
Data analysis in the Biomedical environment and in
Power engineering
This example illustrates the use of INSPEC Classification Codes in
navigating a search for a general topic such as data analysis within very
different subject fields.
Concept
Search Hints
#
Search Statement
Hits
data analysis
search in SU field - use
‘in operator’ or tick the
Subject check box
#1
data analysis in de,
id, su
14612
search in Descriptors
field to narrow down
the search
#2
data-analysis in de
7747
search for the term
biomed* in SU field;
examine classification
codes assigned to the
retrieved records
#3
biomed* in de,id, su
41142
a87 and b75 are
identified as relevant
classification codes
#4
(a87 or b75 )in cc
206436
data analysis
in biomedical
environment
combine the relevant
sets
#5
#2 and #4
304
power
engineering
identify b8 as the
relevant classification
code
#6
b8* in cc
285543
data analysis
in power
engineering
combine relevant sets
#7
#2 and #6
117
biomedical
environment
alternatively, browse
through the Thesaurus
Subject List;
examine Related
Classification(s) for the
suggested biomedical
terms
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS- User Notes
Example 3
On the relative economics of coal-fired and nuclear
power stations
This example illustrates the use of the Subject field, Descriptors and
Treatment Codes
Concept
Search Hints
#
Search Statement
Hits
power
stations
search in SU field
(tick the Subject box remove the tick from
the Words Anywhere
box)
#1
(power station?) in
de,id.su
50597
coal
search in SU field
#2
(coal) in de, id,su
9566
nuclear
search in SU field
#3
(nuclear) in de,id,su
277527
nuclear power
stations and
coal-using
power
stations
combine relevant sets
#4
#1 and #2 and #3
277
economics
related papers
search Treatment
Codes field via Index
Displays
#5
economic in tr
42933
alternatively, search
for ‘economics’ in
Descriptors field (term
found in Thesaurus
Subject List)
#6
economics in de
31179
combine relevant sets
using Treatment
Codes
#7
#4 and #5
63
combine sets using
economics as
Descriptor
#8
#4 and #6
67
economics of
coal & nuclear
power
stations
Compare resulting records from sets #7 and #8 for relevance to the search
problem.
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
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INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Chemical Search examples
Search topic
Search statement
Element in any role
si-* in ci
Element with special role (e.g.dopant)
si-dop in ci
Specific compound, alloy or mixture:
HgCdTe
FeMn alloy
He-Ne laser
hg-ss near cd-ss near te-ss in ci
fe-bin near mn-bin in ci
he-bin near ne-bin in ci
Specific compound with known formula
h2so4-ss in ci
Groups of compounds (e.g.niobates)
nbo3-ss in ci
Numerical search examples
quantity
search type
numerical
value
search statement
temperature
exact value
4K
temperature near 4.0 e00
in ni
pressure
exact range
10 to 85 GPa
pressure near 1.0 e10
near 8.5 e10 in ni
wavelength
narrow range
1.06 m to 1.07
m
(wavelength near 1.06*
near e06 in ni) or
(wavelength near 1.07
near e06 in ni)
frequency
broad range
10 kHz to 10
MHz
frequency near 1.0 e04
near 1.0 e07 in ni
power
above specific
value
above 1GW
power near (e09 or e10
or e11....) in ni
Note: WebSPIRS changed the method of loading data with negative
components during 1996. After 1996 these data are displayed and searched
as though they had positive components. Data before 1996 are searched as
valueE-0X, i.e no space between the number and its component.
20
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS- User Notes
Astronomical search examples
Search Examples
Search Statement
Search Hints
Markarian galaxies
mrk* in ai
before 1995:
(mrk or mkn) in id or
(markarian or markaryan) in
id
X-ray source which
starts ‘3A 0322’
3a 0322* in ai
search for the string as
indicated (not case
sensitive)
1608* in ai
retrieves objects in both
hemisphere
1608-* in ai
retrieves objects in
southern hemisphere
1608+* in ai
retrieves objects in northern
hemisphere
1608-52* in ai
retrieves objects in a small
patch of the sky (southern
hemisphere)
Objects with
positional
designations
Treatment Codes/Record Types search examples
practical in tr or tr=practical
report in rt or rt=report
Treatment Codes -
Record Type - RT
TR
Application (A)
book
Bibliography (B)
book chapter
Economic (E)
conference-paper
General-or-Review (G)
conference-proceedings
New-Development (N)
dissertation
Practical (P)
journal-article
Product-Review (R)
patent
Theoretical-or-Mathematical (T)
report
Experimental (X)
report-section
Note: one record may have two or
more codes assigned (or none)
Note: patents were discontinued in
1976
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
21
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Bibliographic searching
Field
label
Search Hints/
Notes
Examples
Search
statement
Author
AU
browse through the
General Index and
then select and
search
M Zahn
zahn-m (in
General Index)
or zahn-m* in
AU
Author
Affiliation
AA
search for the name
of the organisation
or town
Aston
University
aston in aa
browse the ‘Free
Text Field’ index,
then select and
search
AT&T
at-and-t in *F
Country of
Publication
CP
CP field can be
browsed via the
Index screen and
then searched
France
france in cp or
cp=france
Language
LA
LA field can be
browsed via the
Index screen and
then searched
French
french in la or
la=french
Publication
Year
PY
PY field can be
browsed via the
Index screen and
then searched
1998-1999
1998-1999 in py
or py=19981999
Record type
RT
RT field can be
browsed via the
Index screen and
then searched
journal
article
journal-article in
rt
(for list of
record types
see p. 21)
or
rt=journal-article
22
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS- User Notes
Field
label
Search Hints/
Notes
Examples
Search
statement
Source
(Bibliographic
citation)
SO
combine with Record
Type to find journal
or conference
papers; can browse
the Free Text Index
using hyphen and
then select
IEEE
Spectrum
(journal)
ieee spectrum in
so and journalarticle in rt
Conference Title
IBC
Conference
ibc in cd
Conference Location
Amsterdam
amsterdam in cd
Conference Year
1996
1996 in cd
both journals
and
conference
papers
Conference
Details
CD
ieee-spectrum in
F*
Accession
Number
AN
unique number is
assigned to each
record entering the
INSPEC Database
six millionth
record on the
database
6000000 in an
CODEN
CO
assigned to journal
records; can change
over the lifetime of a
journal
APOPAI
(Applied
Optics)
apopai in co
ISSN
SN
assigned to journal
records; can change
over the lifetime of a
journal
0003-6935
0003-6935 in sn
Update Code
UD
useful for current
awareness searches
1994
updates
before 1995:
ud=9400 etc.
12th week
update in
1998;
1995 to 1998
ud=9812
first week
update in
1999
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
1999ud=199901 (1st
week in 1999
etc.)
23
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
Quick guide to numerical quantities and their units
Quantity
Unit
Quantity
Unit
age
yr
loss
dB
altitude
m
magnetic flux density
T
apparent power
VA
mass
kg
bandwidth
Hz
memory size
Byte
bit rate
bit/s
noise figure
dB
Byte rate
Byte/s
picture size
pixel
capacitance
F
power
W
computer execution rate
IPS
pressure
Pa
computer speed
FLOPS
printer speed
cps
conductance
S
radiation absorbed dose
Gy
current
A
radiation dose equivalent
Sv
depth
m
radiation exposure
C/kg
distance
m
radioactivity
Bq
efficiency
percent
reactive power
VAr
electrical conductivity
S/m
resistance
ohm
electrical resistivity
ohmm
size
m
electron volt energy
eV
stellar mass
Msol
energy
J
storage capacity
bit
frequency
Hz
temperature
K
gain
dB
time
s
galactic distance
pc
velocity
m/s
geocentric distance
m
voltage
V
heliocentric distance
AU
wavelength
m
word length
bit
24
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
INSPEC on WebSPIRS- User Notes
Alphabetical guide to INSPEC fields
label
Field
label
Field
AA
Author Affiliation
MD
Description of Unconventional Medium
AB
Abstract
MN
Material Identity Number
AI
Astronomical Object Indexing
NI
Numerical Data Indexing
AN
Accession Number
OP
Original Patent Details
AU
Author
PA
Patent Assignee
AV
Availability
PD
Patent Details
CC
Classification Codes
PF
Patent File Date
CD
Conference Details
PI
Patent Priority Date
CI
Chemical Indexing
PR
Price
CITN
Citation
PY
Publication Date
CL
CCC Code
RF
Number of References
CO
CODEN
RN
Report Number
CP
Country of Publication
RT
Record Type
CS
Copyright Statement
SC
SICI
DE
Descriptors
SF
Subfile
DN
Document Number
SK
Sort Key
DOI
Digital Object Identifier
SO
Source
DS
Dissertation Submission Date
ST
SICI of Translation
DU
Document Collection URL
SU
Subject Terms
ED
Editor
TI
Title
IB
ISBN
TL
Translator
ID
Identifiers
TR
Treatment Codes
IS
ISSN
UD
Update Code
LA
Language
UR
Universal Resource Locator
INSPEC on WebSPIRS
25
INSPEC on WebSPIRS - User Notes
26
INSPEC on WebSPIRS