INFORMATION UPDATE "Helping Businesses Find the Facts" January, 2001 Number 17 A Monthly Publication of Shamel Information Services mailto:InfoUpdate@shamelinfo.com ============================================================ Welcome to INFORMATION UPDATE, the free monthly newsletter for business and healthcare professionals. For subscription information, refer to notes at the end of this newsletter. ============================================================ Happy and Prosperous New Year to All! ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS ISSUE ------------------------------------------------------------ => DO IT YOURSELF - Plan Your Search => Notes, News and Announcements => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information ------------------------------------------------------------ DO IT YOURSELF - Plan Your Search ------------------------------------------------------------ You have a question. You need information. You think the answer might be out there somewhere in cyberspace. Where do you begin the search? The best place to begin is by planning your search strategy. Your search strategy is your "battle plan" or "plan of attack." You need to consider where the information might be and how you can get there. For instance, here's a real life question that came up this morning. "I've heard that Merck has started a new venture capital fund. What search engine should I use to find out about that?" This researcher was wise to realize that different Internet search engines will yield different results, so it makes sense to choose your search engine carefully. Before we begin a general, all out Internet search for information about Merck's venture capital fund, let's answer a couple of questions. Question: Are we talking about Merck, the pharmaceutical company? Answer: Yes. Question: What about a venture capital site? Would they have a listing of this new fund? Answer: Maybe. Question: But which venture capital site should we look at? Answer: We could go from site to site looking, or we could use a search engine known for good business resources, like Northern Light. That sounds time consuming. Question: Do you think Merck wants people to know about this new fund? If the answer to that is yes, then the Merck website might have a press release announcing this new fund. Bingo! What actually happened on this search? The Merck site gave us the name of the fund: Merck Capital Ventures. We then used that name on Northern Light to locate several news stories http://nlresearch.northernlight.com So, what was our search strategy? Think about the nature of the information. Think about who is likely to want to share that information. Look for those sites. Here's another real life example. I need a copy of the Food and Drug Administration Guidelines for Industry on Industry Supported Scientific and Educational Activities. We could use an Internet search engine, we could use a government web site search tool such as FirstGov http://www.firstgov.gov/, or we could go to the FDA site. This third alternative seems like the most direct route, and in fact it is. The Northern Light search for 'fda guidelines' yields 86,696 hits. Searching FirstGov for 'fda guidelines' yields 13,494 hits. The FDA Home Page has a link to FDA Documents and Publica- tions. Clicking there leads to a list that includes a link to a "Comprehensive List of Current FDA Guidance Documents." Bingo! We all have a favorite search engine, and we know that each search engine has its strengths. However, thinking about your information need and planning your search can lead to better, faster results. ------------------------------------------------------------ Notes, News, and Announcements ------------------------------------------------------------ Recent Publications: Shamel, Cynthia L. "Internet Information on Urology," Reviews in Urology 2000;2(4):246-252. This article is now available at the Medical Reviews web site http://www.medreviews.com BioTekEd presents: “PRINCIPLES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY” FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2001, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM DoubleTree Hotel Del Mar, 11915 El Camino Real For information contact Dr. Mel Green mailto:mgreen@bioteked.com First course in a series for non-scientists, featuring two distinguished scientists/educators - Dr. Mel Green, Professor of Biology at UCSD since 1963. Dr. Stephen Baird, Professor of Clinical Pathology at the UCSD School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Laboratories at the VA Medical Center. WHO SHOULD ATTEND THIS COURSE Professionals who desire a rapid overview and basic understanding of modern biotechnology. No background in either chemistry or molecular biology is presumed. Testimonial: “ Dr. Green’s course is ideal for the biotechnology novice – whether they be investors, purchasers, lawyers, or other professionals. While attending his course, I think everyone agreed that his unique, engaging style cements home the material while arousing keen interest.” Edward O. Kreusser, Patent Attorney, Lyon and Lyon, LLP now with Brobeck). The Shamel Information Services web site at http://shamelinfo.com contains Information Update archives. Just click on "Newsletters" and check for any issues you might have missed. -------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE -------------------------------------------------------------- Subscriptions to INFORMATION UPDATE are free. You may subscribe or unsubscribe by sending a message to: mailto:InfoUpdate@shamelinfo.com with SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Copyright 2000 Shamel Information Services Please feel free to forward this issue to colleagues, in its entirety. Other uses without permission may violate copyright. Online archives at http://www.shamelinfo.com/newsletter.htm =============================================================== Cynthia L. Shamel, editor Shamel Information Services Poway, California mailto:cshamel@shamelinfo.com Ms. Shamel is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Information Professionals http://www.aiip.org, a Special Libraries Association, San Diego Chapter Director and a member of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals http://www.scip.org Telephone: 858-673-4673 Toll Free: 800-330-9939