Slide 1
Welcome to Using the RANK command on Dialog. This short module will illustrate why you should use the powerful RANK command and provide several examples of its uses in different subject areas. This module assumes that you are familiar with how to conduct a basic search on Dialog. It may also serve as a refresher on using RANK or show you additional uses for RANK that may be new to you and may help you analyze your search results. The content found in Dialog is available through many interfaces. This module uses the DialogClassic Web interface to illustrate the RANK command.
Slide 2
By the end of this session you will know different ways to use RANK in DialogClassic Web. First, we will describe the RANK command, including why it is an important search tool. Then, we will conduct three searches to illustrate uses of RANK. In the first two examples, we'll use RANK in the business files in a company search and in the patent files in a patent assignee search. Then, we'll rank descriptors in the technical files to find keyword synonyms to broaden our search. Finally, then, we'll RANK authors in a biomedical database to find potential experts and show you how to bypass the RANK menu and enter RANK options in a single command line.
Slide 3
The RANK command is very valuable to perform trend or statistical analysis on an existing search set. There are many ways to use the RANK command: Find companies that are most often written about on a specific topic, identify who holds the most patents for a technology; find out who is writing most about a specific subject, or identify additional keywords for a search, to name a few.
Slide 4
The Dialog system extracts terms from the specified field(s) in a set of records and lists them in ranked order, with the most highly posted term appearing first. The RANK command is designed to work in most phrase-indexed fields, such as the additional indexes like AU for author or co for company name or pa for patent assignee. It can also be used in phrase-indexed descriptor and identifier Basic index fields and any fields that can be MAPped. Review Using the MAP command short module for more details on MAP. You can RANK up to 250,000 terms but it is a good idea to get your set small before starting the RANK command.
To use this command, simply enter RANK and the desired field, such as PA for patent assignee or CO for company name. Each ranked term is also assigned a "rank number" that can be used to save a term for later use or to display desired records with the View command while in the RANK menu. More about VIEW later. The RANK command does not work in word-indexed fields; this minimizes the retrieval of inappropriate data. Now that you know a bit about RANK, we'll take a look at several examples that illustrate its different uses in a variety of subject areas.
Slide 5
In this first example we'll rank companies in a business file. We want to find information on which companies are involved with wireless tracking devices. For any RANK search you first conduct your basic search, trying to narrow the topic to a reasonable number of records. In this case, we are using File 16 Cengage Gale PROMT® for the search. Our search strategy retrieves 40 records. The next step is to use RANK, plus the two-letter prefix CO for the company name field. Check the Bluesheets for fields that can be ranked. The Dialog system processed the command and found 15 unique company names. Note that once you enter the RANK command you are in a menu that will prompt you through the rest of the search.
Slide 6
A list of 8 entries displays showing the company with the most items at the top of the list. Notice that a RANK number is assigned to each entry. Once you have the first list of ranked terms you can type P to see more terms, select the terms you want to save using the rank number, separated by commas, or View records with the ranked terms within the RANK menu. If you want to continue with your search or start a new search, you must type EXIT to leave the RANK menu. For this search we are going to view rank number 2 Qualcomm Inc.
Slide 7
To use the View command in the RANK menu, Type View, the Rank number 2, the format, and the items you want to view, in this case item 1. We have chosen Format 8 so we can see the indexing, especially the company names. The displayed record shows Qualcomm Inc. as the company name and the title indicates the record is about a wireless tracking company.
Slide 8
Our second search is in a patent database, Derwent World Patents Index® (File 351). Here we are looking for patent assignees who just received patents for wireless radio frequency identification devices in 2009. In this search we use synonyms for the device and limit the search to the title. We narrow the search to wireless devices and the publication year 2009. Once we have a manageable number of records, we RANK PA for patent assignee.
Slide 9
Again, we look at our list of 8 entries, this time of patent assignees. Out of 449 records we have 872 unique terms. We'll select rank number 6 Fujitsu to save the Rank number 6. Especially for patent searchers: Note that the four-letter terms are Assignee codes, which are available for companies that have several patents, and these codes will pick up all instances of that company, no matter how the patent assignee for that company is indexed. Also, some files have special acronyms, such as PANAME for just the Patent Assignee name without the assignee code. You can enter HELP RANK N, especially in the patent files to get a list of specialized RANK options in that database.
Slide 10
In this example instead of viewing records in the RANK menu, we'll exit from the RANK menu, type Yes to confirm our search results are saved and then execute EXS the Fujitsu RANK number in the complete file. When we combine our previous search with the ranked term we have 22 records. We can now TYPE our records, continue with this search or start a new search because we are no longer in the RANK menu.
Slide 11
Here is the first record TYPEd out using Format 3 to see the Patent Assignee. Notice the patent assignee and the Publication date for May 21, 2009.
Slide 12
Our third search is in a technical database, Inspec (File 4) that covers from 1983 to the present. Here we are looking for descriptors, additional keywords to use in a search on nanotechnology. In this search we use CURRENT to limit the search to the current year and one back year, then use the keyword we know and limit the search to the title to obtain a manageable number of records to RANK. We then RANK DE for descriptors. Notice the number of synonyms we can use for nanotechnology in the technical files. You can continue this search by selecting the RANK numbers you want to add to your search and continuing the search as in Example 2.
Slide 13
For quick ranking of search terms, you can bypass the menus and enter any or all options in a single command line. To obtain a list of these options in the RANK menu enter M for More Options. RANK options include: Viewing results in alphabetical order (alpha), descending order with the highest number of items at the top of the list, viewing a continuous display of RANK entries, adding a title to your RANK results, displaying the records with VIEW, combining records where there may be more than one indexing for a company, for example. You can also show a display with percentages and/or other details. Note that you must leave the RANK menu to continue searching.
Slide 14
In this example we are conducting our search in EMBASE, a biomedical database. We can use RANK again to rank authors who have written about a medical topic, NPH, a neurological disease where fluid collects in the brain. Here we are bypassing the menus and using the options we just reviewed. Enter RANK plus the two-letter prefix for author (AU), the Set number we want to rank S1, a slash, and the number of records. Then we add any of the special options we want to include such as alphabetical order, continuous display and percent. You will be asked for the number of items you want to rank. In this example we'll rank, 10, and supply a title for your ranked list called NPH authors.
Slide 15
The subsequent RANKed list shows 10 entries out of 779 unique terms listed in alphabetical order, the percent of items ranked and the number of items ranked and the number in the complete file.
Slide 16
We hope this module has given you new understanding of how to effectively use the RANK command on Dialog. Here are some things to think about when using RANK:
Slide 17
What are your next steps?
Slide 18
Thank you for your interest in Dialog features like the RANK command and let us know other short modules that would be helpful to you.