major chinese full-text electronic information resources for researchers and scholars

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Major Chinese Full-Text Electronic Information Resources for Researchers and Scholars Jue Wang China’s electronic publishing industry has developed very rapidly over the past decade. China has become one of the electronic publishing centers in Asia and will continue to flourish in the future. Chinese electronic databases provide the most efficient way for scholars, researchers, and students to perform searches, as well as to provide information for businesses and governments. In this article the author gives a brief overview of selected databases that represent a small portion of the Chinese electronic resources and will serve as a reference to Chinese scholars worldwide. Serials Review 2006; 32:164–171. Published by Elsevier Inc. Overview of Electronic Publishing in China China started its research and development of CD- ROM technologies in the late 1970s. At that time, only a few products were available for scholars. When the Internet was introduced in China in 1987, 1 more and more print products were published online. Over the past ten years, electronic publishing has increased tremendously in China. By 2002, there were about 102 electronic publishers producing 4,713 different electronic publications. 2 Now China has become one of the electronic publishing centers in Asia. In the current global environment, more and more people are interested in China and want to learn about its rich history and latest economic reforms. Chinese electronic resources provide the most efficient way to perform that research. Scholars, researchers, and students will benefit from a discussion of Chinese-produced databases currently available to conduct extensive research on all aspects of China, its history and place in the twenty- first century. Aggregated Periodical Databases China Academic Journals (CAD) China Academic Journals Database (CAD), also know as Chinese Journals Full-text Database (CJFD), has collected more than 7,480 periodicals from Chinese academic journals on science/engineering, agriculture, medicine/hygiene, literature/history/philosophy, eco- nomics/politics/law, education/social science, and elec- tronics/information science published since 1994 (some of them back to 1979). As of October 2005, there are about 15.5 million full-text articles in the database with 1.5 million added every year. The database can be searched by abstract, journal name, keywords, date, article title, author, journal title, ISSN, and full text. Fig. 1 is a screen shot of CAD (English version). The title list of journals can be found at http:// online.eastview.com/titles/index.jsp. The database also has an English language interface with more than forty academic journals covering major social sciences and science and technology areas. The English version of the user’s guide can be found at http://online.eastview.com/ help/User _ Guide.pdf. ! Database producer: Qinghua Tongfang Software Ltd. Co., based in Beijing. ! Web site: http://www.thtf.com.cn/ (Chinese); http:// www.thtf.com.cn/www/web/en/index.asp (English). ! Contact information: http://www.eastview.com/ contact _ us.asp. WanFang Data (China Online Journals, COJ) WanFang Data (COJ ) is a comprehensive database with a wide range of Chinese information from Chinese studies, medical and scientific research to business information. 3 All data are from 1997 onwards and updated weekly. As of December 2005, WangFang Data had 5,026 journals with about 5.26 million full-text 0098-7913/$–see front matter. Published by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.serrev.2006.06.006 Wang is Assistant Professor and Electronic Information Coor- dinator, Western Kentucky University Libraries, Bowling Green, KY 42101–1067, USA; e-mail: [email protected]. 164

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  • Major Chinese Full-Text Electron

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    mprehensive database withnformation from Chinesetific research to businessfrom 1997 onwards andWang is Assistant Professor and Electronic Information Coor-as Chinese Journals Full-text Database (CJFD), hascollected more than 7,480 periodicals from Chinese

    WanFang Data (China On

    WanFang Data (COJ) is a coa wide range of Chinese istudies, medical and scieninformation.3 All data areAggregated Periodical Databases

    China Academic Journals (CAD)

    www.thtf.com.cn/www/web/en/index.asp (English).! Contact information: http://www.eastview.com/contact_us.asp.0098-7913/$see fro

    doi:10.1016/j.serrev.

    dinator,WesternKKY 421011067, Uc publishing centers in Asia. In thevironment, more and more people areina and want to learn about its richt economic reforms. Chinese electronice the most efficient way to perform thats, researchers, and students will benefition of Chinese-produced databasesble to conduct extensive research onina, its history and place in the twenty-

    The title list of journals can be fonline.eastview.com/titles/index.jsp. Thehas an English language interface withacademic journals covering major sociscience and technology areas. The Englisusers guide can be found at http://onlinhelp/User_Guide.pdf.

    ! Database producer: Qinghua TongfanCo., based in Beijing.

    ! Web site: http://www.thtf.com.cn/ (C102 electronic publishers producing 4,713 differentelectronic publications.2 Now China has become oneof the electroni

    keywords, date, article title, author, journal title,ISSN, and full text. Fig. 1 is a screen shot of CAD(English version).

    ound at http://Resources for Researchers and

    Jue Wang

    Chinas electronic publishing industrydecade. China has become one of the elcontinue to flourish in the future. Chinefficient way for scholars, researchers, anprovide information for businesses and gbrief overview of selected databases thaelectronic resources and will serve as aSerials Review 2006; 32:164171.Published by Elsevier Inc.

    Overview of Electronic Publishing in China

    China started its research and development of CD-ROM technologies in the late 1970s. At that time, onlya few products were available for scholars. When theInternet was introduced in China in 1987,1 more andmore print products were published online. Over thepast ten years, electronic publishing has increasedtremendously in China. By 2002, there were aboutnt matter. Published by Elsevier Inc.

    2006.06.006

    entuckyUniversityLibraries, BowlingGreen,SA; e-mail: [email protected].

    164ic Information

    olars

    developed very rapidly over the pastnic publishing centers in Asia and willelectronic databases provide the mostudents to perform searches, as well as tonments. In this article the author gives apresent a small portion of the Chineseerence to Chinese scholars worldwide.

    academic journals on science/engineering, agriculture,medicine/hygiene, literature/history/philosophy, eco-nomics/politics/law, education/social science, and elec-tronics/information science published since 1994(some of them back to 1979). As of October 2005,there are about 15.5 million full-text articles in thedatabase with 1.5 million added every year. Thedatabase can be searched by abstract, journal name,updated weekly. As of December 2005, WangFang Datahad 5,026 journals with about 5.26 million full-text

  • Volume 32, Number 3, 2006 Major Chinese Full-Text Electronic Information Resourcesdocuments. All documents in this database are catego-rized by the following five fields:

    ! Business/Economics (516 journals), Arts/Humanities(443 journals), Law/Politics (426 journals), and SocialSciences (750 journals);

    ! Health, Medicine, and Biology (958 journals);! Fundamental Sciences (747 journals) covers mathe-

    Figure 1. A 1screen shot of CAD (English version).matics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geosciences,and dynamics;

    ! Science and Technology (1,579 journals) covers abroad range of research topics including Aeronauticsand Astronautics, Architecture, Atomic Energy,Automation and Computer Science, Chemical Engi-neering, Electrical Engineering, Energy, Environmentand Security Science, Light and Handicraft Industry,Metallurgy, Metal and Metal Crafts, Mechanics andInstruments, Military Science, Mining Engineering,Petroleum and Natural Gas, Transportation, WaterConservation, and Wireless Electronics and Tele-communications;

    ! Agriculture (419 journals).

    The database can be searched by author, articletitle, abstract, keywords, journal name, institutionname, and full text. The advanced search allows theuser to conduct a Boolean search. Fig. 2 is anadvanced search screen shot of WanFang Data(COJ, English version).

    ! Database producer: Qinghua WanFangData Co., Ltd.Based in Beijing.

    ! Web site: http://www.wanfangdata.com.cn/ (Chi-nese); http://www.wanfangdata.com/ (English).

    ! Contact information: http://www.wanfangdata.com/about/about.asp#contact.

    165engineering technology, agriculture, medicine/hygiene,economics, education, and library and informationChinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database(CSJD)

    Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database (CSJD)contains 12.7 million documents that have been pub-lished in more than 8,000 periodicals in science,science since 1989. The database grows by 1.5 millionentries yearly. According to the Chinese Library Clas-sification System,4 all the documents are categorizedinto seven sections (science, engineering technology,agriculture, medicine/hygiene, economics administra-tion, education science, books and intelligence) andtwenty-seven subjects, such as Science and Engineering,Library and Information Science, Education Science,Environment, and Safety Science. The database can besearched by author, abstract, journal name, keywords,date, article title, journal title, and institution. Fig. 3 is ascreen shot of CSJD (Chinese version).

    ! Database producer: Chongqing VIP Information Co. Ltd.,a subsidiary of Science and Technology Department,Southwest Information Center, located in Chongqing.

    ! Web site: http://www.cqvip.com/ (Chinese); http://dx3.cqvip.com/en/index.htm (English).

    ! Contact information: http://dx2.cqvip.com/serveCenter/service.asp.

    Economy and Finance Database

    China INFOBANK

    China INFOBANK includes fifteen online sub-data-bases which collect information on economic news,

  • business/law, statistics, media information, Chinaand Hong Kong public companies, industry prod-ucts, and government organizations.5 The database

    has over ten million articles and about ten billionChinese characters, accumulates twenty millionChinese characters per day, and is updated daily.

    Figure 2. An advanced search screen shot of WanFang Data (COJ, English version).

    Jue Wang Serials ReviewFigure 3. A screen shot of CSJD (Chinese version).

    166

  • The detailed sub-database information is thefollowing:

    ! China Economic News: archive of economic newsfrom publications and content providers in China.

    ! China Business Report: analytical reports by businessanalysts and professionals, reports on the Chinesemacroeconomics environment and reports announcedby the Chinese government.

    ! China Laws and Regulations: laws and regulationsrelevant to all industries and established cases since1949.

    ! China Statistics: yearly and monthly statistical data onthe socioeconomic situation of the dynamic marketand Chinas external trade performance since 1995(some from 1949).

    ! Chinese Journal: articles collected from worldwideChinese Web sites, including the worlds importantnews, social issues, economic news, and financial data.

    ! China Listed Company: announcements and financialreports on China listed companies.

    ! Hong Kong Listed Company: announcements andinformation on Hong Kong listed companies.

    ! China Medical and Health: health and medical relatednews and information from various health relatednewspapers and magazines in China.

    ! INFOBANK Business Briefing: archive of China andworldwide news with political and economic signifi-cance since 1998.

    ! English Publications: archive of English news fromXinhua News Agency, China Daily and its BusinessDaily Update, etc.

    ! China Company Directory: information and contactdetails of over 270,000 companies.

    ! China Whos Who: up-to-date information on scien-tists, politicians, government officials, bankers, entre-preneurs, etc.

    ! Chinese Government Agency: information on minis-tries and commissions of the state, city and localgovernment.

    ! Proposed and On-going Engineering Projects in China:information on proposed and on-going engineeringprojects covering a wide range of industries, each withinvestment of no less than RMB (Renminbi, thecurrency of the Peoples Republic of China) ten million.Details include a brief introduction to the project andthe investors, key equipment in use or in demand,persons in charge, and contact details.

    ! Glossary: explanatory vocabulary list of economic andfinancial terms.

    Searching allows the user to key in specific stringsof text to specify records for retrieval. bAdvancedsearchQ provides options to limit a search by businesscategory, corporate body, journal title, newspapertitle, Boolean operators, etc. Fig. 4 is a search resultscreen shot of China INFOBANK database (EnglishPublications sub-database).

    Volume 32, Number 3, 2006 Major Chinese Full-Text Electronic Information ResourcesFigure 4. A search result screen shot of China InfoBank database

    167(English publications sub-database).

  • ! Database producer: China INFOBANK Limitedlocated in Beijing.

    ! Web site: http://www.chinainfobank.com/ (Chinese);http://www.chinainfobank.com/irisweb/english/home-page.htm (English).

    ! Contact information: http://www.chinainfobank.com/irisweb/html/contact.htm.

    Social Science Database

    Copying Press Information by Renmin Universityof China

    Copying Press Information database is one of the majorChinese social science databases in the areas of philos-ophy, politics, law, economy, culture and education,language writing, literature, art, history, and geographysince 1995 (with some coverage back to 1978). Itcompiles and processes literature of social science andhuman science published in more than 3,000 news-papers and periodicals in China. It is the most author-itative domestic social sciences and humanities literatureinformation repository. These publications are animportant channel for foreigners who need the latestresearch findings of Chinas social science, as well asChinese politics, economy, and culture in the new era.

    The full-text database can be searched by author,abstract, journal name, keywords, article title, andjournal title. Fig. 5 is a screen shot of Copying PressInformation database (in Chinese).

    ! Database producer: Social Science Information Centerof Renmin University of China, located in Beijing.

    ! Web site: http://www.zlzx.org/zxjs.asp (Chinese);http://www.zlzx.org/english/index.asp (English);http://www.zlzx.org/japanese/index.asp (Japanese).

    ! Contact information: http://www.zlzx.org/english/con-tact.asp.

    Newspaper Databases

    Peoples Daily

    Peoples Daily began publication in June 1948 and hasa current circulation of three million copies. It is themost influential and authoritative newspaper in China.According to UNESCO, it takes its place among theworlds top ten newspapers. Peoples Daily offers thelatest news dispatches of policy information andresolutions of the Chinese Government and majordomestic news and international news releases fromChina. Peoples Daily Online (http://www.people.com.cn) was formally launched on January 1, 1997. It

    Jue Wang Serials ReviewFigure 5. A screen shot of Copying Press Information database (i

    168n Chinese).

  • is now available in Simplified Chinese, TraditionalChinese, English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian,and Arabic.Peoples Daily Online (Chinese) releases news around

    the clock with a daily updating of 6,000 pieces of newsfrom more than forty resources, including Politics,International, Opinion, Economics, Science-Education,Society, Information Technology, Environment, Mili-tary Affairs, Entertainment, Life, and Photography.Peoples Daily Online (English) has been available

    since January 14, 1998. It translates major news releasesfrom the Peoples Daily, including new policies, reso-lutions and statements of the Chinese Government.Internet users can also find useful special columns of

    Peoples Daily Online about the activities of Chineseleaders, basic facts on China, sports, and places ofinterest in China. Fig. 6 is a screen shot of the Englishversion of Peoples Daily Online.

    ! Database producer: Peoples Daily, based in Beijing.! Web site: http://www.people.com.cn/ (Chinese); http://english.people.com.cn/ (English); http://j.people.com.cn/ (Japanese); http://french.people.com.cn/(French); http://spanish.people.com.cn/ (Spanish);http://russian.people.com.cn/ (Russian); http://arabic.peopledaily.com.cn/ (Arabic).

    ! Contact information: http://english.people.com.cn/about/aboutus.html.

    Volume 32, Number 3, 2006 Major Chinese Full-Text Electronic Information ResourcesFigure 6. A screen shot of the English version of Peoples Daily O

    169nline.

  • China Core Newspapers Database (CCND)

    China Core Newspapers Database (CCND) collectsmore than 1,000 newspapers published since June 2000from every province in China. Currently, CCND hasmore than five million full-text articles and 1.2 millionarticles are added annually. CCND is divided into sixseries: Literature/History/Philosophy; Politics/MilitaryAffairs/Law; Economics/Education; Social Science; Sci-ence/Technology; and Love/Marriage/Family/Health. Itis updated daily via the Internet and monthly with CD-ROMs. The database can be searched by subject,author, article title, keyword, newspaper title, date,and full text.

    ! Database producer: Qinghua Tongfang Software Ltd.,Co., based in Beijing.

    ! Web site: http://ckrd.cnki.net/grid20/Navigator.

    ! Contact information: http://www.sikuquanshu.com/en/misc/contact_us.asp.

    SiBu CongKan (The Four Categories of ChineseBibliography)

    The famous author and publisher Yuanji Zhang com-piled SiBu CongKan at the beginning of the 20thcentury. He collected 477 categories, comprising 3,134volumes of books with over 90 millions characters. SiBuCongKan or The Four Categories of Chinese Bibliog-raphy covers Classics (jing), History (shi), Philosophy(zi), and Literary Collections (wenji) according totraditional Chinese bibliography category. The Classicssection contains the texts of the thirteen ConfucianClassics. It includes both the original texts and thecommentaries and technical treatises on various classicaltopics. The history contains a wide variety of texts,including general narrative histories, biographical texts,books on technical historical subjects, and many others.

    Jue Wang Serials Reviewaspx?ID=3 (Chinese); http://www.global.cnki.net/ cor-e%20news.htm (English).

    ! Contact information: http://www.eastview.com/con-tact_us.asp

    Chinese Historical Resources

    Siku Quanshu (The Complete Library in FourBranches of Literature, Wenyuange edition)

    Siku Quanshu, or The Complete Library in FourBranches of Literature, was compiled between 1773and 1782 under the edict of Emperor Qianlong of theQing Dynasty (16441912). Siku Quanshu has col-lected 3,460 classical works with a total of more than36,000 volumes, including philosophy, history, liter-ature and art, political systems, social studies, eco-nomics, astronomy, geography, mathematics, andmedical studies. These classics represent a majorChinese cultural legacy and the essence of Chinesecivilization. Siku Quanshu is the largest encyclopediccollection of Chinese classical works systematicallycompiled and provides an extremely valuable treasurefor scholars on Chinese studies. Only the best worksFigure 7. A screen shot of a full-text search screen of SikuQuanshu (in Chinese).

    170representing 5,000 years of Chinese culture andcivilization were included in this collection. Thedatabase contains 4.7 million pages of scanned imagesof original scripts and provides full-text retrievalfunctions of over 800 million Chinese characters(professional version). Data are presented in bothsearchable full-text versions and scanned images oforiginal scripts. Users can copy and paste the scannedimages of original scripts and text data and makenotes for personal use. Both stand-alone (182 CDs)and network editions are available for subscribers.The database can be searched by Siku category, booktitle, author, and full text. A Japanese languageprofessional version is also available. Fig. 7 is ascreen shot of a full-text search screen (in Chinese).

    ! Database producer: Digital Heritage in Hong Kong.! Web site: http://www.sikuquanshu.com/ (Chinese);http://www.sikuquanshu.com/en/main.asp (English).

    Figure 8. A title search screen of SiBu CongKan.Philosophy is also a very broad category that includesbooks by or about philosophers in Chinese history.

  • readers cards to download books to read onpersonal computers using SuperStars own readingsoftware (SuperStar Reader can be downloaded fromthe companys Web site at http://www.ssreader.com/download/). The eBook collection can be searched bybook title and author. The advanced search is alsoavailable by searching the books ISBN and date ofpublication. For frequently read books, the reader canadd them to his/her personal profile. There are also

    Volume 32, Number 3, 2006 Major Chinese Full-Text Electronic Information ResourcesWorks on the classical philosophies of Legalism, Tao-ism, and Mohism can be found in this section. TheLiterary Collection section includes works by Chinesepolitical and social elites. The electronic version of SiBuCongKan reproduces the original books in electronicform and can be searched by author, title, characters,and full text. The reader can also browse the databaseby category. Other features include summary notes,conversion between Western and Chinese calendars, andcross-searches between traditional and simplified Chi-nese. Figs. 8 and 9 are the title search screen and theresult of the search.

    ! Database producer: Unihan Digital Technology Co.,Ltd., based in Beijing.

    ! Web site: http://www.unihan.com.cn/index.htm (Chi-nese).

    ! Contact information: http://www.unihan.com.cn/zycp.htm.

    Electronic Books

    Figure 9. A search result screen of SiBu CongKan title search.SuperStar (Chao Xing) eBook

    SuperStar eBooks collects a broad range of books,including those in politics, law, arts, science, medicine,military, history, geography, environmental protection,economics, agriculture, and languages. There are twenty-two subject areas andmore than 810,000 titles (includingforeign language books) in its collection at the time thisarticle was written. It is the largest Chinese languageeBook collection in the world. Users can purchase

    171about 5,000 free eBooks from the Web site.

    ! Database producer: SuperStar Company, based inBeijing.

    ! Web site: http://www.ssreader.com (Chinese).! Contact information: http://www.ssreader.com/about.html.

    Summary

    Chinese electronic resources have and can change theway people do research. These searchable databases(most of them are Internet accessible) contribute sig-nificantly to expanded research possibilities and onesthat are easily accessible. With Chinas economic boomand reform, Chinese electronic resource publishing willcontinue to flourish in the future. The explosion inChinese database publishing creates vast new andexciting opportunities for scholars, businesses, govern-ments, and other opportunity seekers to study rare andcurrent materials unique to China. The databasesdescribed above represent just a very small portion ofthese valuable electronic resources in China. Descrip-tions given here should provide a point and reference forChinese scholars worldwide.

    Notes

    1. All the Web sites listed in the article were last accessed March 12,

    2006. See http://www.white-clouds.com/iclc/cliej/cl17zheng.htm

    (accessed January 12, 2006).

    2. Guangwei Xin, Publishing in China: An Essential Guide (Australia:Thomson Learning, 2005), 114.

    3. Zhifeng Zhou, bComparison and Analysis of Three ElectronicFull-Text Databases of Chinese Periodicals in China,Q Journal ofWenzhou Normal College 25, no. 5 (October 2004): 107111.

    4. For an explanation of the Chinese Classification System, see http://

    newpage.lib.sjtu.edu.cn/english/virtual_reference_desk/introduction_

    to_chinese_library_classification.htm (accessed March 12, 2006).

    5. Yan Wang, Ying Liu, and Xia Liu, bComparative Analysis of FourChinese Economic Information DatabasesQ, Information Systemsand Networks 22, no. 5 (May 2004): 584587.

    Major Chinese Full-Text Electronic Information Resources for Researchers and ScholarsOverview of Electronic Publishing in ChinaAggregated Periodical DatabasesChina Academic Journals (CAD)WanFang Data (China Online Journals, COJ)Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database (CSJD)

    Economy and Finance DatabaseChina INFOBANK

    Social Science DatabaseCopying Press Information by Renmin University of China

    Newspaper DatabasesPeople's DailyChina Core Newspapers Database (CCND)

    Chinese Historical ResourcesSiku Quanshu (The Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, Wenyuange edition)SiBu CongKan (The Four Categories of Chinese Bibliography)

    Electronic BooksSuperStar (Chao Xing) eBook

    SummaryNotes