Parents of children with autism face many challenges that arise from the practical, day-to-day issues of living with autism. The specific goals of this guide are to help parents: (1) find information about autism; (2) distinguish between research-based and non-research-based information; (3) become savvy consumers of information by giving them the…

Operating procedures are explained for COSMOS (County of San Mateo Online System), a computerized information retrieval system designed for the San Mateo Educational Resources Center (SMERC), which provides interactive access to both ERIC and a local file of fugitive documents. COSMOS hardware and modem compatibility requirements are reviewed,…

Argues that online searching in terms of both recall and precision improves when search results are checked, and identifies many problems that a searcher should look out for. Numerous examples of printouts illustrate these problems. (JD)

Describes the characteristics of System Development Corporation's (SDC) online index to its database, "Database Index," and presents the results of various test searches to demonstrate the limitations and benefits of the new online file. (JD)

Discusses particular problems and possible solutions in searching the Psychological Abstracts database, with special reference to its loading on BRS. Included are examples of typical searches, citations (with or without abstract/annotation), a tabulated searchguide to Psychological Abstracts on BRS and specifications for the database. (Author/JD)

Defines corporate family searching as the act of using computerized databases to identify a parent company and all of its related companies. Business databases available on Dialog that can be searched to trace a corporate family are identified and appropriate search strategies are described. (CLB)

Three aspects of training and education for online searching of bibliographic and databases are addressed: (1) the present status--what is being taught, (2) a proposed model--what needs to be taught, and (3) the implementation of the model--who should teach what. The first section shows which organizations (library and information schools,…

Provides descriptions of 14 databases that contain citations to audiovisual instructional materials: AGRICOLA, AVLINE, AVMARC, BIOETHICSLINE, CATLINE, CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, DRUG INFO, ERIC, EXCEPTIONAL CHILD EDUCATION RESOURCES (ECER), LIBCON, NICEM, NICSEM/NIMIS, NIMH, and OCLC. Information for each includes subject content, update frequency,…

Introduces the reader to the Food Science and Technology Abstracts, a data file that covers worldwide literature on human food commodities and aspects of food processing. Topics include scope, subject index, thesaurus, searching online, and abstracts; tables provide a comparison of ORBIT and DIALOG versions of the file. (JD)

Profiles the new bibliographic database devoted solely to scholarly articles of political science. Two "searchguides" compare the Lockheed/DIALOG and SDC/ORBIT versions of the file. (JD)

Describes the advantages, disadvantages, and special features of the SCISEARCH database. Topics include file content, journal selection, subject areas, companion files, major data base characteristics, users, and searching strategies; many sample searches and citations are provided, as well as a tabulated searchguide (1974 to present), and data…

This article briefly describes the topics "beta coefficient"--a measurement of the price volatility of a company's stock in relationship to the overall stock market--and "market share"--an average measurement for the overall stock market based on a specified group of stocks. It then selectively recommends a database (file) on…

Intended to serve as an introduction to online searching in the Chicago area, the guide answers these basic questions for those considering going online for the first time: what is online searching, starting out online, local training for online searching, how to choose a terminal, 1200 baud equipment selection, how to prepare for and evaluate a…

Examines three familiar humanities databases that do not have named person indexes and identifies strategies to facilitate both quick, precise searching and high recall for searches where the subject is a personal name. Descriptions of the databases, suggested search strategies, and sample searches are provided. (CDD)

Describes the origin and development of the NICEM (National Information Center for Educational Media) database and provides current information on bibliographic elements in the database entries, searchable indexes, searching, and search aids. Sample citations from NICEM subfiles are included. (JD)