Discusses methods of evaluating commercial online databases and provides examples that illustrate their hidden dimensions. Topics addressed include size, including the number of records or the number of titles; the number of years covered; and the frequency of updates. Comparisons of Readers' Guide Abstracts and Magazine Article Summaries are…

Presents reasons why microcomputers are a better investment than simply upgrading to a plain video terminal, and gives advice on how to shop for your first microcomputer. (LLS)

Addresses the problem of overlap between the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Psychological Abstracts data bases, especially in areas of educational psychology. The article compares costs and article selection and offers guidelines for searchers based on duplication from test searches. (JD)

Focuses on indexing refinements in major life science databases--those specializing in biological/biomedical literature coverage--which influence cross-life searching decisions. Tables included highlight database descriptions, comparisons in coverage, ease of access (indexing of secondary concepts or search modifiers), chemical substance indexing…