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Review from: Reference
Reviews, Volume 21, Number 1, 2007 (UK)
Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin, February 1, 2005
School
Library Journal, October 2004
Advisory List,
April 2005
Review excerpt from: Reference Reviews, Volume
21, Number 1, 2007 (UK)
"There is much to like....A reasonably priced product for the target
audience...which may not want to invest in online subscriptions to a large
number of periodicals."
Review from:
Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin, February 1, 2005
One does not usually start a database review with comments about the
online thesaurus. However, this well-designed function is one of the
shining features of Wilson's Science Full Text Select. Keying in a word
produces a list of suggested subject headings, even if that word returns
no results. For example, heliotrope was not found, but seven subject
headings were suggested, including color of flowers and color in gardens.
Another positive feature is the WilsonLink function, which, when
activated, integrates the Wilson indexes with other vendors’ databases
(depending on a library’s subscriptions) and with the library OPAC. This
maximizes opportunities for accessing full text without multiple searches.
The database covers 287 journals (320 with name changes)
in science and technology and is geared for public, community college, and
high-school libraries. It contains all the content from Wilson's Applied
Science & Technology Full Text, Biological & Agricultural Index Plus, and
General Science Full Text, along with related full-text science titles
indexed by other Wilson databases, including Readers’ Guide Full Text and
Wilson OmniFile Full Text.
Since Science Full Text Select is part of WiIsonWeb,
librarians who subscribe to other WilsonWeb databases will be familiar
with the search protocols. While there are several ways to approach a
search, the Advanced Search function will meet most users’ needs. One may
select Boolean operators across several fields, such as keyword, author,
or subject, limited by date and document type. Some articles are available
in PDF format as well as in HTML if they have graphical content, and users
can choose to limit a search to those in PDF as well as those published in
peer-reviewed journals. Hits can be sorted by a wide variety of criteria,
with relevance (the default), date, title, and author the most useful.
There is also a basic search with Boolean possibilities and a Browse
function, where one can look for a term within a particular field. The
term requested needs to be appropriate to the field for this to be useful.
Results can be displayed as brief or full records, with the full records
including abstracts of 150-500 words.
In Advanced Search. All-Smart Search, which searches for
documents that have all of the words in a query, is the default. It may
not be apparent to students when this kind of search is appropriate, and
librarians and media specialists will need to demonstrate the search
functions so users will not be overwhelmed.
This database is an eclectic mix of scientific,
agricultural, technology, environmental, and medical science titles. The
selection should be useful in secondary schools and many public and
academic libraries, especially since many of the mainstream science
publications are included.
Review from: School Library Journal, October 2004
Grades 9 and up. This science
database (Beta version reviewed) contains the full text content from
Wilson’s General Science Full Text, Applied Science & Technology
Full Text, and Biological and Agricultural Index Plus, and
additional related full-text science titles indexed by other Wilson
databases. Science Full Text Select also presents full text
articles with indexing and abstracting from 320 journals. Although many of
them are too academic for general high school use, students in Advanced
Placement science classes or those planning to major in the sciences will
find the exposure to professional writing both challenging and
stimulating. Searching is quick: select either the Natural Language search
or Boolean search radio button. The results set is ranked by relevance and
then in descending chronological order with the most recent entries shown
first. Search results are displayed with full bibliographic information
and, in some results, also include a brief abstract. The Customize Display
feature allows the school library media specialist to define how search
result records will appear. Those wishing to conduct a topic search should
use the Advanced Search screen. While topic searching is not available
from the Basic Search screen, students can find additional articles on a
subject by clicking on any of the hyperlinks in the subjects field from
the full text of any selected article. If a thesaurus search returns a no
hit, the software automatically reads all of the full-text articles in the
database and returns a list of the topic (subject) headings that are most
frequently used in articles in which the "no hit" thesaurus term appears.
The usual Wilson database
features are present: print, e-mail, save, document type, document
description, limiting features, and All SmartSearch Technology. The
InfoCenter provides guidance on citations, a quick reference sheet,
searching tips, and more. Science Full Text Select will
enable school library media centers that have a limited collection of
science periodicals to provide access to a broad range of science
literature. This is a reference database and should not be compared with
curriculum-oriented science databases.
Review from:
Advisory List, April 2005
Published by the North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction for K-12 Schools
Science Full Text Select allows
users to locate articles from over 320 scientific, technical,
agricultural, and applied mathematical periodicals. With Basic Search,
articles can be found by entering words, terms, or phrases, while the
Advanced Search option helps users to narrow the search parameters.
Searched databases can be narrowed with the Browse function, and a Search
History is available. Using the Thesaurus, students can enter a word or
phrase and receive a list of suggested subject headings and related items
in the database. Search results provide students a list of relevant
articles with each journal’s title, date of publication, and links to view
the text in either HTML or PDF format. Article titles link to
bibliographical information and an abstract. Other information on the
results page indicates if a journal is peer reviewed. Options are provided
for printing, e-mailing, or saving the results of a search. The Help
section includes information on how to use the features of the site, a
journal directory, and a tutorial. The site will automatically search and
link to any other open-URL compliant resources available in a school’s
collection. Weaknesses: A few articles only can be viewed in HTML
format. Strengths: This site is very easy to use and will give
students access to scholarly scientific articles not typically found in a
high school media center collection or in general periodical databases.
Uses: Students in advanced science courses can utilize this site to
search for articles relevant to research projects and reports. Teachers
can find articles to enhance textbook material and spark discussion in the
classroom. Mathematical research presented in the articles can be used in
a mathematics classroom to show how what is being taught in class is used
in the real world. A math teacher could give students the data from the
research to see what conclusions they can draw from it.
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