Report:STN/Customer Support/Online Help Features
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Online Help Features
This section relates to online training. For information about on-site training, see the Training section.
STN producers CAS and Fiz Karlsruhe both produce a large amount of free English-language training materials, and the services provide open access to all these materials on their websites. Database-specific information sheets can be found on the CAS website. User guides and documentation for STN Express (PDF), STN Easy, and STN on the Web are also available on the CAS website (and STN on the Web/STN Easy portals). The support materials available from CAS can be found on their website under the STN Support and Training section.
Important resources available through CAS and STN include:
- E-seminars - Live and recorded e-seminars are available from the CAS website and STN International (Fiz) website. The sessions may be attended through Webex, and registration is required. Most live CAS e-seminars are on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and topics range over all available STN databases, software tools and search strategies.
- STN and SciFinder Open Practice Sessions - Users can sign up for two hour sessions to "use CAS computers, software, and login IDs" and get guidance from CAS search experts. The sessions are attended virtually through Webex, and users can come and go as they please, since no formal presentation is given during the session.
- Virtual STN Patent Forums – These live e-seminars, which users can attend virtually via Webex after registration, are usually once or twice a month on Tuesdays or Thursdays and cover topics on STN databases and search techniques relevant to patent professionals.
- Self-Directed Learning - For users who don’t have time to participate in an online training e-seminar or open practice sessions, STN offers online training modules in HTML format that can be quickly reviewed, or self-directed learning materials that can be printed and studied. These modules include practice problems and solutions.
- Quick Reference Cards/Quick Reference Guides/STNotes - These resources were designed to be printed and distributed to users for desk references, but they are also available online. Quick reference cards provide step-by-step instructions for practical STN commands, and also provide information on specific topics such as “Using Online Thesauri.” Quick reference guides provide broader overviews and search techniques on topics such as “Polymer Information on STN.” STNotes provide information on new and enhanced STN system features, like “Enhanced Polymer Polymer Searching in CAS Files.”
- STN News - STN produces an e-mail/online version of its news publication, which contains articles about search strategy and database content (there is always a special section for Database News, which discusses any changes in individual data files), product updates and system enhancements. The free e-newsletter is delivered monthly to subscribers.
FIZ Karlsruhe, the European partner, also offers a compendium of English- and French-language training materials on its STN Training Center website.
