Product Overview of ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect, launched in 1997, is Elsevier’s premier online platform designed to provide comprehensive access to a vast array of scientific, technical, and health publications. This platform is tailored for researchers, teachers, students, healthcare professionals, and information specialists, aiming to enhance their research, teaching, and professional endeavors.
What ScienceDirect Does
ScienceDirect serves as a centralized hub for accessing peer-reviewed full-text literature, including journal articles, book chapters, and supplementary data. It covers 24 major disciplines across science, technology, and health, making it an indispensable resource for interdisciplinary research and scholarship.
Key Features
- Extensive Content Library: ScienceDirect offers access to over 3,800 journals, more than 35,000 books, and over 14 million full-text publications. This includes highly cited journal titles such as The Lancet, Cell, and Tetrahedron.
- Advanced Search Functionality: The platform features both basic and advanced search capabilities. Users can search using keywords, author names, journal or book titles, and filter results by publication date, article type, publication title, subject area, and access type (including open access and open archive). The advanced search allows for specific searches by author affiliation, article type, and more.
- Alerts and Notifications: Users can set up multiple alerts, including journal and book series alerts, topic alerts, and search alerts. This ensures they stay updated with the latest developments in their field.
- Early Access: ScienceDirect provides advanced access to peer-reviewed articles accepted for publication through its “Articles in Press” feature.
- Supplementary Data and Links: The platform includes links to data repositories and supplementary data supplied by authors, enhancing the depth of information available to users.
- Personalized Recommendations: By creating a ScienceDirect account, users can receive personalized recommendations based on their search history and reading preferences. The account also allows for remote access outside the institution’s IP range.
- Accessibility Features: ScienceDirect is designed to be accessible, with features such as HTML journal articles and book chapters compatible with screen readers, well-structured pages for assistive technology, and math content available in MathML.
- Topic Pages and Interconnectivity: The platform includes topic pages that provide an overview, related terms, and associated book chapters. This interconnectivity helps users explore related content across different disciplines.
- Remote Access and Authentication: Access to ScienceDirect is facilitated through various authentication methods, including IP address, federated authentication (e.g., Shibboleth, OpenAthens), VPN, proxy server, and secure login via a library website.
Functionality
- User Accounts and Tools: Creating a ScienceDirect account enables users to save searches, set up alerts, and access their reading history. The account can also be used with other Elsevier tools such as Scopus, Mendeley, and Engineering Village.
- Admin Tools for Institutions: The platform offers an Admin Tool for librarians to manage institutional access, gather usage statistics, and set up accounts. These statistics are COUNTER compliant, providing detailed insights into book and journal usage.
- Open Access Content: ScienceDirect includes a significant amount of open access content, making it a valuable resource for a wide range of users, including those from academic institutions, government agencies, and industry.
In summary, ScienceDirect is a powerful tool that combines a vast library of peer-reviewed content with advanced search and alert features, personalized recommendations, and robust accessibility options, making it an essential resource for anyone involved in research, teaching, or professional development across various scientific and health disciplines.