Thomson Reuters Pulling Web of Science from Discovery Services

Earlier this month, Thomson Reuters announced a partnership with Google to add its Web of Science content to Google Scholar.  However, we are learning that Thomson Reuters is pulling its Web of Science content from other discovery services such as Summon, EBSCO Discovery Service, and Primo as early as the end of this year.

From a Thompson Reuters letter:

Web of Science is keeping pace with the evolution of research discovery. Increasingly, researchers of all levels are turning to the Open Web to begin their search.

That is why Thomson Reuters is collaborating with Google Scholar to make the Web of Science instantly discoverable and bring users directly to the Web of Science, where they can experience the power of citation connections.

We have always been committed to supporting researchers around the world as they find, evaluate and assign meaning to research.

Increasingly we have seen that while Discovery Services are a valuable tool for accessing full text content, they are not a replacement for the unique research discovery experience that the Web of Science offers.

As enabling research discovery based on citation connections is the primary objective of the Web of Science, and the foundation upon which our evaluation, selection and indexing process is based, we believe it is in the best interest of our customers and end users to use the Web of Science research discovery environment as the primary interface for authoritative search and evaluation of citation connected research.

For this reason we will no longer make Web of Science content available for indexing within EBSCO, Summon or Primo Central. We will, however, continue to support Web of Science Accessibility via linking and federated search capabilities in each of these discovery layers. Please direct any questions regarding configuration changes to their respective support teams.

This could foreshadow a troubling development for all discovery service vendors if others follow.

Read the partnership announcement at Against the Grain.

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Friday Fun: Google Easter Eggs

Google might have a basic search interface, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have some fun.  We’ve seen special Google “doodles” marking special events and anniversaries.  But Google has hidden Easter eggs in its various products and services from Android to Google Maps.

PCWorld recently posted the list of Top 15 Google Easter eggs of 2012.  Enjoy!

Friday Fun: Google Askew

Previously we posted a Google Easter egg which is uncovered when searching for “do a barrel roll“.  Google coders have hidden other Easter eggs, as well.

In any current web browser on your computer or mobile smartphone, perform a web search for “askew” or “tilt” and see the slightly-off results page.

(If you like, you can let me Google that for you.)

The Evolution of Google Search

Google talks about the development of its search engine in a new video. From the Official Google Blog:

Our goal is to get you to the answer you’re looking for faster and faster, creating a nearly seamless connection between your questions and the information you seek. That means you don’t generally need to know about the latest search feature in order to take advantage of it—simply type into the box as usual and find the answers you’re looking for.

Friday Fun: Do a Barrel Roll

Perfect timing for Aviation History Month, Google has an aviation-related Easter egg on its website.  Using a current browser that supports HTML5 (Chrome or a recent version of Firefox works best), search Google for “do a barrel roll”.  Hang on!

(If you like, you can let me Google that for you.)

Wired: Google Removes + Search Operator

Google quietly took away the + search operator.  From the Wired article:

On Wednesday, Google retired a longer-standing “plus”: the + operator, a standard bit of syntax used to force words and phrases to appear in search results. The operator was part of Google since its launch in 1997 and built into every search engine since.

Unlike their other recent closures, the removal of + was made without any public announcement. It could only be found by doing a search, which advised the user to double-quote the string from now on, making “searches” look like “awkward” “Zagat” “reviews.”

Read the Wired article: Google Kills Its Other Plus, and How to Bring It Back.