ScienceDirect(R) Launches New Release

ScienceDirect(R) Launches New Release

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, December 17/PRNewswire/ --

- New Content and Functionality Meet Requests From Scientific Community



Elsevier's leading web delivery platform ScienceDirect, has expanded
its full-text collection and introduced enhanced functionality to improve
the customer experience. The new release has also advanced the Shibboleth
authentication system, allowing researchers to gain remote access more
easily.



ScienceDirect is one of the first electronic resources to partner with
InCommon Federation. Utilization of Shibboleth software means that users from
InCommon universities and colleges can now benefit from remote off-campus
access to ScienceDirect without additional administration by participating
institutions. Shibboleth technology enables the use of the same login
credentials to access multiple information resources so that users can link
seamlessly to other Shibboleth-protected information. By offering support for
all the major authentication standards, Shibboleth allows institutions the
opportunity to evolve their authentication procedures at their own pace. The
Athens authentication scheme mainly used for UK Health and Education sectors
has also experienced some enhancements with the latest ScienceDirect release.
Athens authentication system now has the ability to interoperate with the
Shibboleth technology, having the potential to extend the benefits of ease of
access a wider group of customers.



ScienceDirect has also been rapidly expanded to include major new
English-language titles from German publisher Urban & Fischer, now part of
Elsevier. In addition to ScienceDirect's over 2,000 journal titles, a total
of 28 English-language journals have been added in 2004, including
prestigious titles such as Flora and European Journal of Cell Biology, and
are available through promotional access. An additional eight Urban & Fischer
titles will be added in 2005.



The collections of Major Reference Works, Book Series and Handbooks on
ScienceDirect have also been significantly expanded, as well as backfiles of
journal issues back to the first published volumes.



With ScienceDirect the research process is enhanced, with unparalleled
searching and linking functionality all on a single, easy to use interface.
ScienceDirect's new features include image-based linking, pre-defined search
alerts on specific topics, as well as a more user-friendly "table of
contents."



Researchers and scientists around the world will now be able to access
more content with greater ease thanks to this release.



"At ScienceDirect, we aim to provide the highest quality scientific
information in a comprehensive way, efficiently and effectively. Research
professionals have told us that they need to have these tools, this content,
and they rely on ScienceDirect to deliver. Above all else, scientists look to
ScienceDirect as a reliable scientific resource--one that they can count
on." said Amanda Spiteri, Global Marketing Director, ScienceDirect.



About ScienceDirect



Over a quarter of the world's full-text scientific, technical and medical
(STM) articles - managed by renowned editors, written by respected authors
and read by researchers from around the globe - are available in one place:
ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com). Elsevier's extensive and unique full-
text collection covers authoritative titles from the core scientific
literature including high impact factor titles such as Cell, THE LANCET, and
Tetrahedron. Over 6 million articles are available online, including Articles
in Press which offer rapid access to recently accepted manuscripts.



The critical mass of information available on ScienceDirect is
unsurpassed. Coverage includes over 2,000 journals published by Elsevier and
dynamic linking to journals from approximately 170 leading STM publishers
through CrossRef. An expanding suite of scientific full-text content in a
rich linking environment provides subscribers with increasingly flexible and
extensive access to the world's published STM literature. An expanding
program of online major reference works and book series in all fields of
science seamlessly interlinks with primary research referenced in journal
articles.



About Elsevier



Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical
and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with
the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in 74
offices worldwide publish more than 1,800 journals and 2,200 new books per
year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such
as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult
(http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.news.scopus.com/),
bibliographic databases, and online reference works.



Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business
headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide.
Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a
world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science
and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier
provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with
increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's
ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK
and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).



Source: Elsevier

Michelle Willemsen-Rusbridge, Elsevier, ScienceDirect, +31(0)20-485-3857 m.rusbridge@elsevier.com


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