ScienceDirect Reference Modules - One Go-To STM Source
Jinfo Blog

By Yulia Aspinall

Abstract

Reference Modules is a reference solution integrated into Elsevier's ScienceDirect platform. The two modules already available to researchers are Chemistry, Molecular Sciences & Chemical Engineering, and Earth Systems & Environmental Sciences, with more to follow. Yulia Aspinall highlights the attractions of the new solution.

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If your company has a subscription to ScienceDirect, then your users will know how to familiarise themselves with a new research area.

Traditional Elsevier scientific encyclopaedias, known as "major reference works" are a valuable resource for building foundational knowledge in the desired area. Over 130 major reference works are available, but they suffer from not being regularly updated.

Reference Modules: Continually Updated

Recently Elsevier announced the launch of the Reference Modules platform. The contents of Reference Modules are kept current by a professional editorial board.

Editorial boards comprise teams of accomplished subject-matter experts who select, organise and review the content in each of the modules. This is a continuous process, with the result that Reference Modules are "living" products.

The articles are written at a level that allows upper-undergraduate students to understand the material, while providing active researchers, whether in academia, government, or corporations, with an up-to-date source of foundational reference material for all aspects of the field and its neighbouring disciplines.

Reference Modules are designed for faster, more relevant browsing within the subject and beyond for quick, clear overviews, subject hierarchies to put everything in context, and guidance to lead researchers to related knowledge.

Time Stamp

Every article is given a time stamp, indicating to users the date of the last review or update - this is an important addition to inform researchers about the currency of each title. In the past, updated reference work content would have been unavailable to researchers until the typical five-to-seven year publishing cycle was complete.

The initial modules available to researchers are:

• Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering
• Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences.

More are planned in the near future.

Editor's Note

Reference Works has a host of interesting features. The full FreePint Report: Product Review of ScienceDirect Reference Works is now available in PDF format, in a convenient package for reference and sharing, for those with a FreePint Subscription.

Articles in Series:

• Reference Modules: Introduction and Contact Details
• Reference Modules: Sources, Content and Coverage
• Reference Modules: Technology: Search, Outputs & Alerts, User Interface & Help
• Reference Modules: Value, Competitors, Development & Pricing

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