engineering

Inspec

Inspec is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Inspec rather than just read about it. In short: Inspec is a major indexing database of scientific and technical literature, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and formerly by the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), one of the IET's forerunners. Inspec coverage is extensive in the fields of physics, computing, control, and engineering.

Key takeaways

Inspec belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Inspec to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Inspec from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Inspec is a major indexing database of scientific and technical literature, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and formerly by the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), one of the IET's forerunners. Inspec coverage is extensive in the fields of physics, computing, control, and engineering. Its subject coverage includes astronomy, electronics, communications, computers and computing, computer science, control engineering, electrical engineering, information technology, physics, manufacturing, production and mechanical engineering. Now, due to emerging concept of technology for business, Inspec also includes information technology for business in its portfolio. Inspec indexed few journals publishing high quality research by integrating technology into management, economics and social sciences domains. The sample journals include Annual Review of Financial Economics, Aslib Journal of Information Management, Australian Journal of Management and, International Journal of Management, Economics and Social Sciences. Inspec was started in 1967 as an outgrowth of the Science Abstracts service. The electronic records were distributed on magnetic tape. In the 1980s, it was available in the U.S. through the Knowledge Index, a low-priced dial-up version of the Dialog service for individual users, which made it popular. For nearly 50 years, the IET has employed scientists to manually review items to be included in Inspec, hand-indexing the literature using their own expertise of the subject area and make a judgement call about which terms and classification codes should be applied. Thanks to this work, a significant thesaurus has been developed which enables content to be indexed far more accurately and in context, which in turn helps end-users discover relevant literature that may otherwise have remained hidden from typical search queries, making Inspec an essential tool for prior art, patentability searches and patent drafting. Access to Inspec is currently by the Internet through Inspec Direct and various resellers.

Print counterparts Inspec has several print counterparts:

Computer and Control Abstracts (ISSN 0036-8113) Electrical and Electronics Abstracts (ISSN 0036-8105) Physics Abstracts (ISSN 0036-8091) Science Abstracts Electrical engineering Abstracts* Electronics Abstracts Control theory Abstracts Information technology Abstracts Physics Indexes Electrical engineering Indexes Electronics Indexes Control theory Indexes Information technology Indexes Business automation Abstracts (Journals featuring management, economics and Social Sciences; organizations; management information systems related research)

Computer and Control Abstracts Computer and Control Abstracts (ISSN 0036-8113 Frequency: 12 per year) covers computers and computing, and information technology.

Electrical and Electronics Abstracts Electrical and Electronics Abstracts (ISSN 0036-8105 Frequency: 12 per year) covers all topics in telecommunications, electronics, radio, electrical power and optoelectronics. Printed indexes by subject, author and other indexes, and a subject guide are produced twice per year.

Physics Abstracts Physics Abstracts (ISSN 0036-8091 LCCN 76-646597 Frequency: 24 per year) is an abstracting and indexing service first published by the Institution of Electrical Engineers. It was first circulated as Science Abstracts, volume 1 through volume 5 from 1898 to 1902. From 1903 to 1971 the database had different titles. These closely related names were Science Abstracts. Section A, Physics and Science Abstracts. Section A, Physics Abstracts from volume 6 to volume 74. By 1972 other societies were associated as authors of this service such as the American Institute of Physics. In 1975 or 1976 the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers also became an author. By 1980 this database was also issued as INSPEC-Physics on various formats. It was also available as part of INSPEC database. Presently it is part of Inspec, Section A - Physics database. At the same time, the Physics Abstracts title was employed throughout the 1990s.

Notable editor The science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, with a B.S. degree (physics and mathematics honors) (King's college), was an assistant editor for Physics Abstracts from 1949 to 1951. This position allowed Clarke to access to "all of the world's leading scientific journals."

Science Abstracts The first issue of Science Abstracts was published in January 1898. During that first year, a total of 1,423 abstracts were published at monthly intervals, and at the end of the year an author and subject index were added. The first issue contained 110 abstracts and was divided into 10 sections:

General Physics Light Heat Sound Electricity Electrochemistry and Chemical Physics General Electrical Engineering Dynamos, Electric Motors and Transformers Electric power distribution, Traction and Lighting Telegraphy and Telephony Science Abstracts was the result of a joint collaboration between the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and The Physical Society of London. The publication was (at that time) provided without charge to all members of both societies. The cost of the publication was mainly borne by the IEE and The Physical Society. Financial contributions were also received from the Institution of Civil Engineers, The Royal Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science By 1902, the annual number of abstracts published had increased to 2,362. By May 1903 it was decided to split the publication into two parts: A (Physics) and B (Electrical Engineering). This decision allowed the subject's scope to widen, particularly in physics. As a result, this allowed a larger quantity of material to be covered. Since 1967, electronic access to Science Abstracts has been provided by INSPEC.

See also List of academic databases and search engines

References

External links PACC Physics Abstracts Classification and Contents. 1993 to 2008 Physics Abstracts - Series A: Science Abstracts. Absolute Backorder Service, Inc. 2011. Inspec page at the Institution of Engineering and Technology Inspec Direct page The History of Science Abstracts and Inspec Memoirs of Science Abstracts editorial staff —Arthur C. Clarke

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Inspec

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Inspec claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Inspec before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Inspec ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Inspec

In research: Inspec appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Inspec in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Inspec is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bibliographic databases in engineering, Institution of Engineering and Technology, Mathematical databases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Inspec outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Inspec in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Inspec means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Inspec out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Inspec in simple terms?

Why does Inspec matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Inspec?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Inspec.