Support : eNewsletters : Training Updates : Issue 3, May 2010

From the Editor

Check out the latest training classes, new self-paced learning tools, search tips and techniques in this issue of Training Updates. This issue highlights Dialog’s new global support team and Web site. Read the article “Self-paced Instruction: Learn by Doing” and the search tip to develop expertise in searching the biomedical files.

Dialog Forums — European Tour and D.C.

Join us for a Dialog Forum in Europe throughout May and June and in North America at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on May 27. Additional North America forums are being planned for the Fall. Read more about Forum agendas and register today.

New: Essential Tools for Searching Dialog and DataStar

Looking for a short synopsis to show you how to find the ultimate parent of a company, a password verification form, an in-depth workbook on searching prior art, a class about trademarks or the free file of the month or help setting up Alerts? Look no further! You can now find all the information in one location—the new Dialog Global Support Home Page.

Dialog Global Support encompasses Content Specialists, Knowledge Center Information Consultants and Account Management Analysts. The information you need is just a click away. Review the tabs from the Support Home page below:

• My support. From biomedical, pharmaceutical, engineering or technology to intellectual property or business and market research, your questions are answered by global Knowledge Center Information Consultants. The Alerts Bureau experts can also help you set up Alerts on your topics of interest. Read more about the Knowledge Center.
• My Account. To manage your Dialog account, you may need billing or usage information, forms to add users to your account or Terms and Conditions, to name a few. Learn more about the Global Customer Operations team and the tasks they perform.
• My Learning. From novice to expert, develop your research expertise with Dialog training resources: live Web-based training classes, self-paced short modules and classes or quick start tutorials and workbooks. All are available at no charge from this tab.
• Search Aids. No matter what your research area, navigate to: Essential Tools for Intellectual Property, Business and Market Research, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Research or Engineering and Technology Research and find all subject-specific training materials, search aids and classes on one page. You can also access Dialog product resources on this page.
• What’s New. Sign up for Dialog newsletters—the Chronolog, Eye on Innovation and ProQuest IQ—to keep up to date on the latest product, content and company news. Don’t miss news on the new Dialog interface from the Dialog User Panel.

Whether it’s a live or self-paced training class, a call to the Knowledge Center, a workbook or a search aid, having all Dialog support resources in one place, lets you quickly and easily find the exact information you need. Bookmark the online Support Home page now!

Scheduled Training Courses

Mark your calendar: Instructor-led Web-based courses

Dialog’s live Web-based training, offered worldwide and in different languages, is designed to expand your search skills and knowledge of Dialog and DataStar, whatever your skill level — novice to power searcher.

Free files for May and June

Each month Dialog offers an opportunity to try out new or unfamiliar sources by offering $100 of free searching (either DialUnits or connect time). Output and Alerts charges are not included. Learn more about the featured files for May GeoRef (File 89) and June Chinese Patents Fulltext (File 325) by:

• Reviewing the pre-recorded database overview.
• Registering for a live Webinar on Chinese Patents Fulltext, scheduled for June 9 and 10, designed to provide additional details on this featured file's coverage and value-added indexing and features.

Live Web-based training

Register for basic courses, subject-specific courses on trademarks or engineering, or others highlighting specific techniques such as the MAP command or finding experts for a specific subject. Register now for these new courses:

• Demystifying the MAP Command: Applications of MAP in Patent, Business and Chemistry Files (May 25) – explains how the MAP command works and illustrates several applications of this powerful Dialog command. Save time and learn to MAP patent numbers, CAS® Registry numbers and Duns numbers.
• Finding Expert Witnesses on Dialog (June 8) – helps you identify and research potential experts by using the news, business, science and reference databases on Dialog.
• Patents 101 (June 15) and Patents 102 (June 17) – is a two-part class designed to provide an overview of the patent process for novice searchers who are required to conduct research in patent files or for more experienced searchers seeking a refresher.
• Pharmaceutical Searching on Dialog: From Top Pharmaceutical Sales to Over-the-Counter or Generic Drugs (June 17) – focuses on techniques for finding information about brand-to-generic switches and is intended for searchers who want to develop their pharmaceutical searching expertise.

These are only some of the courses we are offering. Read detailed descriptions of all course content and register now.

Training in French and German

Check the training sites in French and German to see offered courses and email the instructors to register. Sessions to get you started on Dialog or DataStar, content-specific modules on business, science and intellectual property topics and short 15-minute courses to improve your skills are all available. For example, register for a Webinar in German to learn more about competitive intelligence with patents or find out about environmental databases on Dialog. Or, before you begin your next search, take 15 minutes to attend a quick session to Find the Best Content on Dialog Using DIALINDEX®. You can also register for any of the Webinar courses worldwide.

Click the My Learning tab on the Support Home page for a list of all classes available.

Self-paced instruction: Learn by doing

Many adults learn best by “doing,” not just hearing or seeing. In our last issue of Training Updates we provided tips on how to use workbooks successfully as a self-paced learning tool. One tip emphasized the importance of reinforcing what you learned through practice. Practice not only helps you develop your searching expertise but it also helps you evaluate what you learned and where you need to refresh or expand your skills.

Practice, practice, practice

The goal of training is ultimately to enable you to apply what you learned to real life situations—to searches you must perform in your everyday work situation. Dialog offers opportunities for practicing your skills and improving your subject expertise.

• Practice in the Free File of the Month. Each month Dialog offers $100 in DialUnits or connect time in a Dialog database. (Note: Output and Alerts charges are not included.) If the file is in a subject area you search, use your time to try new searches or explore some of the techniques you have learned in your training. The free file is announced in the Chronolog each month and on the Dialog Web site.
• Use ONTAP® databases. The ONTAP® (ONline Training And Practice) databases for Free Practice Searching on Dialog or DataStar enable you to hone your skills without incurring an online charge. ONTAP databases are portions of the complete databases. A booklet of exercises with sample answers provides a way to check your knowledge.

In addition to conducting searches and learning more about databases on Dialog, several other ideas may help you develop your Dialog expertise.

• Set goals. Immediately after completing a self-paced module, write on your calendar a time and date to practice what you learned. Select at least two topics and write your search strategy and/or select databases based on the self-paced module you studied. This may require you to return to the training piece and review what you learned.
• Diagnose future learning needs. Check the Dialog Online Support page for other on-demand training that either refreshes your previous learning or moves it a step further. Select your subject from the Essential Tool pages and click each tab to find new material: online courses, interactive video-based simulations, personalized workbooks and a library of bite-sized reinforcement modules.

Learning is a process

Research shows real development involves a process that occurs over time, and any retention from the event itself soon fades. Consistent, ongoing follow-up can increase effectiveness from “none” to “significant.” Read more tips on how to approach learning from other self-paced training tools on Dialog in future Training Updates.

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