A search engine for scientists

When genetic researchers do a Web search for Dolly, the subject of their query probably doesn't have the last name Parton, nor is it likely (that they are looking for) a magazine for the fun-loving Australian girl who wants to know the latest on everything from fashion and beauty to entertainment news. But a Google search will turn up these results and lots of other noise, unless the researcher specifies that results should not include Parton or fashion but must include cloning. Instead, a scientist could use a search engine like Scirus, which specifically taps science resources and publications. Scirus is a search engine for scientists that allows them to dig through not just scientific journals, but also unpublished research, university websites, corporate Internet sites, conference agendas and minutes, discussion groups and mailing-list archives. ... Many scientists default to PubMed, a medical journal database maintained by the National Library of Medicine. But vast as that database is, it will miss more general articles. ... The Scirus search engine is free, but that's not to say its owner, Elsevier, a giant in science publishing, doesn't benefit from operating the science search tool. Elsevier publishes 20,000 journals, books, electronic products, services, databases and Web portals. Scirus includes Elsevier publications, like BioMedNet and ScienceDirect, in its results. Those results are ranked like any other, but also feature an eye-catching logo.

Wired News