CSA Illumina (formerly Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) is a provider of online databases, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[1] It is now a division of ProQuest, which in turn is now a subsidiary of the Cambridge Information Group.[2] The company produces numerous bibliographic databases in different fields of the Arts and Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences, and Technology.[3]
Aluminium Industry Abstracts (AIA) was formerly known as World Aluminum Abstracts (WAA). Topical coverage in the technical literature includes aluminum, production processes, products, applications, and business applications. Coverage of the sources include periodicals, technical reports, conference proceedings, patents, trade journals, press releases, and books.
Subject coverage, in broad categories, of this database is the aluminum industry (including end uses of aluminum), aluminum intermetallics, business information, engineering testing and properties, extractive metallurgy, melting, casting, and foundry, metalworking, ores, extraction, patents, metallurgy engineering, and quality control (including testing).
CSA publishes Ceramic Abstracts / World Ceramics Abstracts in conjunction with CERAM Research Ltd. This is an all-inclusive database which serves the ceramics industry. Coverage spans the globe on the manufacture, processing, applications, properties and testing of traditional and advanced ceramics. In addition, this database is indexed for more than 3,000 relevant publications of various types, or groupings, which are related to scientific journal content. Dates of coverage span from approximately 1975 to present day. The oldest record in the database has a publication date of 1971. Furthermore, about 50% of its records have publication dates of 1990 or later. This database is updated once per month, and approximately 15,000 new records are added each year. As of June 2010 the size of the database is more than 453,964 records. The print equivalent for this database is World Ceramics Abstracts and Ceramic Abstracts.[4]
CSA/ASCE Civil Engineering Abstracts encompasses global, indexing, and abstracting coverage of civil engineering technical literature. Coverage also includes the complementary fields of forensic engineering, engineering services management, engineering services marketing, engineering education, theoretical mechanics, theoretical dynamics, and computational studies. Serial and non-serial publications are part of this database. More than 3,000 abstracted titles encompass, books, conference proceedings, trade journal, scientific journals, technical journals, patents, government reports, dissertations, monographs newsletters, and press releases. Indexing with a controlled vocabulary (12,500 terms) also references items such as cited references, corresponding author's e-mail address, and publisher contact information. With a file size of 1,372,711 records (July 2010), an update frequency of once per month, about 40,000 records are added each year, and temporal coverage is from 1966 to present day.[5][6][7]
Global coverage pertains to research and application, which is updated on a monthly basis. This database accesses periodicals, conference proceedings, technical reports, trade journals (including newsletter items), patents, books, and press releases. Non-serial publications are also covered. Research and application pertains to Artificial Intelligence, Computer Applications, Computer Programming, Computer Systems Organization, Computing Milieux Hardware, Information Systems, Mathematics of Computing, and Software Engineering.[8][9]
The primary focus of Earthquake Engineering Abstracts (EEA) is coverage of earthquake engineering and earthquake hazard mitigation. This database contains 181,380 records which are full citations and abstracts, 52,000 journal articles, indexes and abstracts of major earthquake engineering research journals, along with 40,000 abstracts of proceedings (includes major meetings). 22,000 other records include abstracts of research monographs and technical reports. Coverage of sources is for more than 3,0000 periodicals, conference proceedings, technical reports, trade journal/newsletter items, patents, books, and press releases. Temporal coverage is from 1971 until present day.[10]
Engineered Materials Abstracts, established in 1986, provides in-depth coverage of polymers, ceramics, and composites, including complex and advanced materials. The processes involving these materials such as research, manufacturing practices, properties and applications are also cited in this database. This electronic database also contains the sub-files named Ceramics, Composites and Polymers. In addition, this database is indexed for more than 3,000 relevant publications of various types, or groupings, which are related to scientific journal content. Dates of coverage span from approximately 1986 to present day. The oldest record in the database has a publication date of 1953. Furthermore, about 50% of its records have publication dates of 1993 or later. This database is updated once per month, and approximately 20,000 new records are added each year. As of June 2010 the size of the database is more than 796,357 records.[11][12]
As a subfile of Engineered Materials Abstracts the focus of Advanced Polymers Abstracts is technical information about the uses, manufacturing, and properties of thermoset and thermoplastic resins. These materials are competing with metals to be the material for structures. The broad topical coverage includes molding, thermoplastic elastomers, extrusion, materials development, polymer blends, joining, bonding, synthesis, PVC, chain structure, performance testing, compounding, and filled plastics.
This database provides all-inclusive coverage of the scholarly literature concerning environmental sciences and pollution management. Links to full-text electronic journal articles are also accessible. In addition, this database is indexed for more than 10,000 relevant publications of various types, or groupings, which are related to scientific journal content. Dates of coverage span from 1967 to present day. The update frequency is once a month, and approximately 6,000 new records are added each month. As of June 2010 the size of the database is more than 3,366,269 records.[13]
Environmental Periodicals Bibliography (EPB), established in 1972, by the Environmental Studies Institute of the International Academy at Santa Barbara. This database contains more than 500,000 indexed citations, covering all environmental topics in scientific, technical, and popular journals. Comperehensive coverage of 500 journals is also included in this database. Citations are arranged by journal title and publisher, and when there are links to their respective cites, these are made available. CSA Illumina is a web access point, and this database is on CD-ROM as well.[14]
The CSA High Technology Research Database is a major abstracting and indexing datasbase and category in the CSA Illumina database structure. It is considered to be the online equivalent of International Aerospace Abstracts (IAA) and Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR from 1962 to 1993). These are also listed as the print counterparts.[15]
It comprises four subltitles:
The database covers theory, experimentation, application, emerging technologies, and companies that are involved in the space sciences (including aeronautics and astronautics), computer & information technology, solid state materials (including solid state devices), communications, chemistry geoscience, and finally electronics. Further research, application, and development coverage includes more than 40 countries including Japan and Eastern European nations.
More than 10.7 million records are available (February 2011), with a monthly update of approximately 100,000 records, and temporal coverage from 1962 to the present. It is indexed by references, abstracts, and 40,000 controlled vocabulary terms.[15]
The Aerospace and High Technology Database is a bibliographic database covering the space sciences as well as aeronautics and astronautics. This database also provides access to complimentary disciplines, such as electronics, chemistry, physics, geonscience, and communications. The print equivalent is International Aerospace Abstracts (IAA) and Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR from 1986 to 1993) [16]
International Aerospace Abstracts was published by the Technical Information Service of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, with an ISSN:0020-5842. Other previous authors was National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences. It was published alternately with the Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports in 1963. International Aerospace Abstracts was part of the International Aeronautical Abstracts section of the publication entitled Aerospace Engineering (ISSN 0096-669X).[17]
According to the NASA website: Effective May 2011, Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR) is being retired, along with several other NASA scientific and technical information products.[18]
Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR) is an information resource listing citations and abstracts of NASA and worldwide aerospace-related scientific and technical information (STI). Updated biweekly, STAR highlights the most recent additions to the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database. Through this resource, the NASA STI Program provides timely access to the most current aerospace-related research and development (R&D) results.[19]
STAR subject coverage includes all aspects of aeronautics and space research and development, supporting basic and applied research, and application, as well as aerospace aspects of Earth resources, energy development, conservation, oceanography, environmental protection, urban transportation and other topics of high national priority. The listing is arranged first by 11 broad subject divisions, then within these divisions by 76 subject categories and includes two indexes: subject and author.[19]
CSA Solid State and Superconductivity Abstracts (ISSN: 0896-5900) provides online, international, coverage encompassing all aspects of theory, production, and application of solid state materials and devices. High and low temperature superconductivity technologies are included. Coverage is from approximately 1981 to the present day. The oldest record in the database has a publication date of 1970. About 50% of this database has records which were published since 1992. The database is updated once a month. Approximately 40,000 new records are added each year. As of June 2010, Solid State and Superconductivity Abstracts contains more than 967,000 records. There is a print equivalent of the same name.[20]
Mechanical Engineering Abstracts is a continuation of the formerly named "ISMEC Bulletin" (v.1, no.1, July 10, 1973) (issn: 0306-0039), which appears to have ceased under this title in December, 1987 (v. 20, no.6). ISMEC Bulletin was published by Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Now, Mechanical Engineering Abstracts is also known as "ISMEC, Mechanical Engineering Abstracts". Another title is "Information service in Mechanical Engineering Bulletin".[21][22][23][24]
Temporal coverage for Mechanical Engineering Abstracts is from 1981 to 2002. Current information, beyond its temporal coverage, is not part of this database. Current information is located in Mechanical & Transportation Engineering Abstracts (see next section below). As of May 2010 this database contained more than 215,700 records.[25]
Engineering Information is a co-publisher of this database. Global in scope, broad subject coverage comprises theory and application in Mechanical engineering, Engineering management, and Production engineering. Format coverage consists of scientific journals, articles, conference papers, methods, developments, and conclusions (including research results). The target audience is specialists, researchers, and engineers.[22][23][25]
Further subject coverage includes all aspects of Mechanical engineering. Other subjects, which are covered in this database, are Aerospace engineering, Automotive engineering, Naval architecture and Marine engineering, Railroad engineering, and Materials handling. Nuclear technology is also part of this database covering: Fluid flow, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, and Vacuum Technology. Heat and Thermodynamics covers Industrial furnaces, process heating, space heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, and cryogenics.[25][26]
CSA Mechanical & Transportation Engineering Abstracts provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the literature in mechanical and transportation engineering and other supporting engineering fields. This database is indexed for more than 3,000 relevant publications of various types which are related to scientific journal content. Dates of coverage are from approximately 1966 to the present. The oldest record in the database has a publication date of 1895; about 50% of its records have publication dates of 1988 or later. The update frequency is once a month, and approximately 40,000 new records are added per year. [27]
CSA METADEX is the database equivalent of Metals Abstracts, Metals Abstracts Index, and Alloys Index. It specializes in covering all topics pertaining to metals and alloys, which includes their properties, manufacturing, applications, and development. METADEX was established in 1966, and now contains more than 1,425,000 references. In addition, this database is indexed for more than 3,000 relevant publications of various types, or groupings, which are related to scientific journal content. Dates of coverage begin from, approximately, 1966 to the present day. The oldest record in the database has a publication date of 1939. However, about 50% of its records have publication dates of 1986 or later. METADEX is updated at a frequency of once per month. Approximately 45,000 new records are added per year. As of June 2010 this database contained more than 7,058,162 records.
Notable material science databases are combined under CSA Materials Research Database with METADEX. Contents up to the level of specialist are accessible, collected from the disciplines of materials science, metallurgy, ceramics, polymers, and composites used in engineering application. For all metals, alloys, polymers, ceramics, and composites in depth coverage of the industrial process is covered. This means, in depth coverage of raw materials, their processing and refining is included. The chain of processing continues with in depth coverage also of welding and fabrication developed for end uses. This is followed by performance, corrosion, and recycling, as related to all metals, alloys, polymers, ceramics, and composites. In addition, this database is indexed for more than 3,000 relevant publications of various types, or groupings, which are related to scientific journal content.[28]
This database comprises the following:
The abstracting and indexing focus of CSA Sociological Abstracts is the world wide literature pertaining to all topics related to sociology within the social and behavioral sciences. More specifically, abstracts of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers are indexed in a database of over 1,800 publications, which is serially classified. This includes citations for book reviews. The backfile has been updated to include the print version of Sociological Abstracts from its beginnings from 1952 to 1962. Links are provided between Sociological Abstracts and other social science databases within CSA illumina.
Subjects covered are culture, social structure, demography, human biology, economic development environmental issues, family life conditions, social welfare, health, medicine, and law. Other subjects across the sociological spectrum are also included such as development, differentiation, arts, business, education, substance abuse, addiction, and women's studies.
This database is updated monthly with approximately 30,000 records per year. The total size of the database exceeds 913,900 records, and is the print equivalent of Sociological Abstracts, ISSN : 0038-0202.[29][30]