Scopus has been continually enhanced since its debut in November 2004, both in terms of content and software. It offers now more than 38 million records, nearly 15 million with cited references. The massive efforts to fill in the gaps of coverage of many journals is to be applauded, but there are still serial publications with significant gaps in coverage even in the most precious 1996-2009 segment of the database, which should have been given top priority.
The most current free subset version of the World Development Indicators (WDI) is a half-hearted effort from the World Bank, less generous with indicators than many alternative free sources such as the excellent, far better designed and implemented free digital version of the OECD Factbook 2009. However, WDI has free information about many more countries and economies than most of the alternatives. There are annoying geographic classifications, content and software oddities and stunning data errors obvious even to the naked eye (also in the subscription-based version), but by applying common sense and appropriate care it is a usable resource for ready-reference service, especially for data about countries/economies that are not covered by alternative sources.
ticTOCS is a splendid, state of the art version of the traditional current awareness services from RSS feeds of the Table of Contents pages of more than 14,400 scholarly journals. It takes the pain out of learning about the content of the most recent and even upcoming issues of journals. It has some lacuna in journal coverage in spite of its wide scope, and a few software shortcomings. Even in its infancy, this service helps greatly in centralizing, personalizing and filtering the flood of information. It saves a lot of time, and offers a lot of gratification to researchers free.
Very current, and rich content about every topical –if not regional- aspect of the pop culture universe ranging from pop arts and entertainment to pop couture and cuisine through the digital aggregation of 360 print ready-reference sources on the subject. The use of the advanced search mode requires caution because distinct data elements offered for filtering the search (country, time period) are absent in many records.
In spite of some content limitations, this exceptionally well-designed open-access component of the SCImago Journal & Country Rank database is an outstanding source for bibliometric, scientiometric and informetric research about scientific publishing productivity and impact of nations.
Among all the mainstream almanacs this is by far the most comprehensive and the most current since it is continuously updated. The impressively smart software brings the best out of the rich content. It sweetens the deal that it is free, although you pay a price by enduring appalling Web ads – familiar from commercial television.