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STN Basics - Training Module Part 1
STN (the Scientific and Technical Information Network) is an online information system offering access to an unparalleled collection of essential science and technology databases and outstanding tools for search, retrieval, analysis, and reporting. It is operated jointly by CAS in Columbus, Ohio, by FIZ Karlsruhe in Europe, and by JAICI (Japan Association for International Chemical Information) in Asia.
 How do I access STN?
To access STN you will need:
 For details call CAS Customer Care at 800-753-4227 (North America) or 614-447-3700 (International).
How can I find out more about the content of databases on STN?Descriptions of databases (also known as files) are provided in the:
What does the information in a database look like?Each database contains records which are potential answers to a search query in that database. The kind of information found in a record depends on the database. Many databases are designed to provide bibliographic or full-text information from original documents. Other databases furnish chemical structure, numeric, chemical reaction, and directory information. Bibliographic databases - the focus of this training module - are created by compiling in each database record:
Indexing terms are "consistent" terminology used by a database producer for topics that might otherwise be referred to by several different terms or phrases (e.g., "Human immunodeficiency virus 1" might be the consistent terminology used as an indexing term when important information is reported on the AIDS virus, AIDS-associated virus, HIV, HIV-1, or Human immunodeficiency virus 1). The assignment of uniform indexing terms allows searchers to more accurately locate records on a particular topic.
Sample Record (from the CAplus File)Bibliographic information is in regular text; indexing terms are in bold AN 1995:666968 CAPLUS
DN 123:55037TI Computer Perception of Molecular Symmetry
AU Balasubramanian, K.
CS Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ, 85287-1604, USA
SO J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. (1995), 35(4), 761-70
CODEN: JCISD8; ISSN: 0095-2338DT JournalLA English
CC 20-5 (History, Education, and Documentation)OS CJACS
AB A computer code and algorithm are developed for the computer
perception of mol. symmetry. The code generates and uses the
Euclidian distance matrixes of mol. structures to generate the
permutation-inversion group of the mol. The permutation-inversion
group is constructed as the automorphism group of the Euclidian
distance matrix. Applications to several mol. structures and
fullerenes such as the C60 buckminsterfullerene and C28 and C24
fullerenes are considered.
ST mol symmetry computer perception
IT Algorithm Computer program
Molecular structure
(computer perception of mol. symmetry)
IT Fullerenes RL: PRP (Properties)
(computer perception of mol. symmetry)
IT 99685-96-8, Buckminsterfullerene
RL: PRP (Properties)
(computer perception of mol. symmetry)
In the STN record the different "pieces" of information are located in specific data fields, identified by field codes such as TI (Title), AU (Author), AB (Abstract), and IT (Indexing Term). What should I know about how a search works?Words or terms in an STN record become access points to that record: a searcher instructs the STN computer to search for a term or combination of terms and the STN computer responds by retrieving all records that contain the term(s). A search can be focused by specifying that only the terms from a certain data field are to be searched (e.g., only title words, or only author names, or only abstract terms, etc.). This is possible because words from different data fields in a record are placed in different search indexes. For example, consider an STN record with the title "Computer Perception of Molecular Symmetry". The words computer, perception, molecular, and symmetry (but not articles like of, the, in) become a part of the Title Index (/TI) when the record is added to the database. If you were to instruct STN's computer to search for any of these words in /TI, one of the retrieved records would be this one. Therefore, in addition to search terms, your search request to STN may also specify a search index(es). You can think of a database as being a filing cabinet containing many drawers of words. In the illustration below, words found in any of the filing cabinet drawers (indexes) will lead back to the same record.
 Later in this module you will be shown how to use the "EXPAND" command to look through an index to see the terms in it, and the number of records that can be accessed with each of these terms.
Bibliographic databases are generally constructed so that the Title Index, Abstract Index, and Indexing Term Index are merged into one index called the Basic Index (/BI). The /BI is the default index - it is where your search will occur if no other index is specified. The /BI is made up of single words. It is where you will typically search for words pertaining to subject matter.
 Basic Indexes in different databases (Examples) How do I communicate with STN?Your signal that STN is waiting for instructions from you is the arrow prompt (=>). The instructions you enter consist of a command followed by details of the action you want to accomplish. Enter this information using the format below. Command Line Format:=> COMMAND DETAILS [Enter]key
Updated 5/8/2007 8:29:30 AM
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