EMBASE in the nineties: new methods of database production and exploitation Available to Purchase

Developing and maintaining a competitive edge in the information business today will periodically require the timely and smooth transition from older to state‐of‐the‐art technology. Central to the production of a commercially‐available database in the biomedical field is the speed with which it can be created and updated, particularly for access on the major hosts. It is therefore imperative that new production processes contribute positively to timely updating, and that the cost of implementing them is offset by new opportunities for enhancements and additional commercial exploitation of the database. The paper describes new production methods for the EMBASE database and the related issues associated with the implementation of these changes, in particular the way in which they affect data entry, indexing methods, quality and nature of indexing, and the currency of the database. New production methods have brought about the possibility of new products, such as a document delivery service, and these will also be discussed.