After the jump, learn about the Chinese patent and non-patent literature available through both the English and Chinese-language versions of Wanfang Data!
English-Language Version
The English-language version of the Wanfang Data portal includes a drop-down menu in the upper right corner of the website, where users can select to access databases individually. User can also search through a cross-database search form, where users select any or all of nine different databases via checkboxes in a side menu. The Cross-Database Search includes three query forms (with a drop-down menu of field identifiers: full text, title, author, institution, etc.) that can be connected by Boolean operators (via a drop down menu between query forms). In order to conduct any searches within the English-language version of the portal, users must first sign in to their subscription-based accounts.
The English-language version of the Wanfang Data website describes each database available through the platform:
- China Local Gazetteers - Over 20,000 volumes of Chinese chorographic books, covering 31 provinces and autonomous regions.
- China Online Journals (COJ) - 7,000 full-text journal titles published in China.
- English Online Journals (ECOJ) - Over 150 English journals published in China, covering journals indexed by SCI, EI, CA and Medline.
- Dissertations of China (DOC) - Masters, Doctoral, and Post-doctoral dissertations and theses from Chinese research institutions from 1986 onward.
- Academic Conferences in China (ACIC) - Full-text papers, or abstracts and other descriptive information of papers from national and international conferences held in China from 1986 onward.
- English Conferences in China (ECIC) - Full Text papers of international conferences held in China from 1986 onward, published in English.
- Chinese Companies & Products (CECDB) - Information on company profiles, products, capitals, revenues, profits, contact details, web sites, etc.
- Chinese Companies & Products (English version) - Information on company profiles, products, capitals, revenues, profits, contact details, web sites, etc.
- Chinese Scientific Institutes - Information of more than 20,000 research institutes in China, including their contact information, reaserch field, patents, publications and so on.
- Policies and Laws of China (PLOC) - More than 330,000 records covering a range of Chinese policies, regulations and Laws of both national and regional levels from 1949 onward.
- Chinese Patents - Full text of all Chinese patents approved after 1985. It covers patents of invention, utility, and design.
- National/Industrial Standards - Descriptive information for Chinese national and industrial standards. Full-text document delivery is available upon request.
- China Medical Association Journals (CMAJ) - Over 120 full-text, peer-reviewed journal titles from the Chinese Medical Association.
“Featured Collections” for the English-language system include:
- Chinese Studies Online – A package of database content and a search platform that contains journals, dissertations, conference proceedings, and policies and laws of China.
- China Medical Collections – This portal covers medical journals, dissertations, conference proceedings, patents, standards, companies, and products.
- Science & Technology of China – This collection of science materials includes journals, dissertations, conference proceedings, Chinese standards, and patents.
- China Business Reference – This collection of business information contains laws, policies, and regulations, Chinese company and product information (in both Chinese and English), Chinese standards, and patents.
- China Legal Collections – A collection of Chinese laws, regulations and policies, journals, dissertations, and conference proceedings.
The cross-database search form on the English-language version of Wanfang Data.
Chinese Version
Users can utilize translation software, like Google Translate, to translate the Chinese version of Wanfangdata.com into the language of their choice. The simple search form for the Chinese version of Wanfangdata.com has a single query form where users choose (via tabs located above the form) from multiple documents types that can be searched. Searchable document types include (translation from Chinese to English):
- Papers
- Journal
- Degree (Thesis)
- Meeting (Conference)
- Foreign Literature (non-Chinese literature)
- Patents
- Standard (National and industrial standards)
- Achievement (These appear to be technical guides and specifications)
- Books
- Legislation
- Agency (Business organizations, educational and research institutions, and information agencies)
- Expert
A Cross-Database Search form is also available in the Chinese version (users must log in to their account to utilize this form). The Advanced Search section includes both Advanced and Classical search forms, with various searchable data fields in the Advanced search and drop-down menus of field options in the Classical search. A “Specialized Retrieval” search form is also available under the Advanced Search section. The “Specialized Retrieval” search form appears to be a command line interface that allows the user to search via CQL search language. Users can conduct searches for free and without registration through all available search forms (except the cross-database search) on the Chinese version of Wanfang Data.
The hit list for results in the Chinese-language system includes a side menu with additional criteria to limit the result list. The limiting criteria is different for each database.
The results of a search on the Chinese version of Wanfang Data (translated using Google Translate).
Users can view bibliographic records of the results, but they must purchase the full document or log in to view full-text of results. Most journal results include both an English and Chinese-language abstract.
The available bibliographic record, including an English-language abstract, for a journal article on the Chinese version of Wanfang Data (untranslated).
Conclusion
Wanfang Data includes content and search options for both Chinese and English-language users, and although the content is subscription-based, users can still search the portal and view limited records through the Chinese version of the system. The portal gives users access to an impressive array of Chinese patent and non-patent literature, ranging from journal articles to company listings and industrial standards. Institutions can choose to subscribe to a variety of subject-specific collections, so administrators can tailor the accessible content of the portal to user needs. Wanfang Data is a valuable central portal for searching Chinese prior art, although any professional patent searcher will utilize a variety of other free and subscription resources to locate all available Chinese and non-Chinese prior art.
Have you used Wanfang Data for locating Chinese prior art? Let us know in the comments!
This post was contributed by Joelle Mornini. The Intellogist blog is provided for free by Intellogist’s parent company Landon IP, a major provider of patent searches, trademark searches, technical translations, and information retrieval services.
Filed under: Patent Search News, Patent Search Systems, Search Tips and Tricks Tagged: | Chinese NPL, chinese patent searching, Chinese prior art, non-patent literature
