ProQuest Dialog

ProQuest Dialog is an online information service and research platform whose origins lie in a pioneering computer-based information-retrieval system developed at Lockheed in the 1960s. The earliest form of the system was completed in 1966 under the direction of Roger K. Summit. It was designed to let users search structured information resources remotely, a model that preceded the public Web and helped establish the commercial online database industry. The service became known simply as Dialog and developed into a major source of searchable professional and scholarly information. Its databases covered bibliographic and reference material as well as specialized resources used by researchers, libraries, corporate information departments, patent professionals, and other institutional users. Dialog's importance came not from being a Web publisher in the modern sense, but from making remote access to large, professionally compiled databases possible through telecommunications networks and terminal-based searching. During the 1980s, the company introduced Knowledge Index, a lower-priced dial-up service aimed at individual users. Knowledge Index provided access to a selected portion of the broader Dialog collection, including INSPEC, MathSciNet, and more than 200 other bibliographic and reference databases. The service also incorporated third-party retrieval vendors. These vendors could obtain material from physical libraries on behalf of subscribers and arrange for the information to be delivered through the service, extending the platform beyond database searching alone. The ownership and corporate structure surrounding Dialog changed several times. Before Thomson ownership, MAID acquired Knight-Ridder Information, bringing the Dialog and DataStar businesses into its portfolio. MAID subsequently renamed itself The Dialog Corporation. Under Thomson Corporation ownership, the wider operation included Dialog, DataStar, Profound, and NewsEdge. Thomson later consolidated Dialog and DataStar under the Dialog name. News content associated with Profound and NewsEdge was combined, while the market-research portion of Profound was sold to MarketResearch.com. NewsEdge was later sold to Acquire Media, which subsequently became part of Naviga and was later sold again to Moody's Analytics. In mid-2008, ProQuest acquired Dialog from Thomson Reuters. The transaction placed the service within ProQuest's information-services portfolio and connected its legacy online-search capabilities with ProQuest's broader scholarly, library, dissertation, news, and business-information activities. Clarivate later acquired ProQuest, making ProQuest Dialog part of Clarivate's information and analytics business. The brand therefore represents both a historical technology platform and a continuing professional research service, with its identity shaped by database aggregation, remote information retrieval, and successive corporate integrations.

ProQuest Dialog traces its roots to a computer-based information-retrieval system completed at Lockheed in 1966 under the direction of Roger K. Summit. The system was an early example of remote access to structured information databases. Although it was not part of the World Wide Web, its ability to connect users with searchable information resources made it an important predecessor to later online information services. The service subsequently developed as Dialog, offering access to a broad collection of bibliographic, reference, technical, business, patent, and news databases. It served institutional and professional users, including libraries, corporate researchers, scientists, and other specialists who needed to locate information across multiple sources. Its significance was tied to both the scale of its databases and the development of specialized search methods for retrieving information over telecommunications networks. In the 1980s, a less expensive dial-up subset called Knowledge Index was marketed to individual users. It included resources such as INSPEC and MathSciNet, along with more than 200 additional bibliographic and reference databases. Knowledge Index also worked with third-party retrieval vendors that could obtain copies of materials from physical libraries and arrange delivery to subscribers, creating a supplementary document-retrieval service. Dialog's corporate history involved several reorganizations and changes of ownership. MAID acquired Knight-Ridder Information, including the Dialog and DataStar businesses, and later changed its name to The Dialog Corporation. Under Thomson Corporation ownership, the group included Dialog, DataStar, Profound, and NewsEdge. Dialog and DataStar were eventually consolidated under the Dialog name. Content and business lines were also reshaped: news resources from Profound and NewsEdge were combined, the market-research business from Profound was sold to MarketResearch.com, and NewsEdge was later divested to Acquire Media. Acquire Media subsequently became part of Naviga and was later sold to Moody's Analytics. ProQuest acquired Dialog from Thomson Reuters in mid-2008. This moved the service into a company focused on scholarly, library, dissertation, news, and business information. Clarivate later acquired ProQuest, making ProQuest Dialog part of Clarivate. Across these ownership changes, the brand retained its association with professional online information retrieval and with the early development of commercial database-search services.

• 2008

  ProQuest acquires Dialog

  [1]ProQuest Dialogen.wikipedia.org

  ProQuest acquires Dialog from Thomson Reuters and incorporates the service into its information-services portfolio.

• 1980

  Knowledge Index is introduced

  [1]ProQuest Dialogen.wikipedia.org

  A lower-priced dial-up subset of Dialog is marketed to individual users, providing access to selected bibliographic and reference databases.

• 1966

  Lockheed completes the earliest Dialog system

  [1]ProQuest Dialogen.wikipedia.org

  The earliest form of the Dialog information-retrieval system is completed at Lockheed under the direction of Roger K. Summit.

A professional information-retrieval service for institutional and specialist users, differentiated by its long history, breadth of searchable databases, and support for structured research across scholarly, technical, business, patent, and news sources.

• Online information-retrieval service

  Dialog

  The core professional search service provided remote access to a large and varied collection of bibliographic, reference, technical, business, patent, and news databases. It was used by institutional researchers and specialists who needed to search across multiple structured information sources.

• Consumer and individual-user database service · 1980

  Knowledge Index

  Knowledge Index was a lower-priced dial-up version of Dialog introduced in the 1980s. It offered individuals access to a selected subset of the wider service, including INSPEC, MathSciNet, and more than 200 other bibliographic and reference databases.

• Online information service

  DataStar

  DataStar was a related online information-service business that was included in the Dialog portfolio. Under Thomson ownership, DataStar and Dialog were later consolidated under the Dialog name.

• 2008

  ProQuest acquires Dialog from Thomson ReutersM&A

  Background

  Dialog had operated through several ownership structures and was part of Thomson Reuters' information-services activities before the transaction.

  Action taken

  ProQuest acquired the Dialog business and brought it into its portfolio of scholarly, library, business, and research-information services.

  Aftermath

  The transaction connected the long-established Dialog platform with ProQuest's broader information-services operations. Clarivate later became its parent through the acquisition of ProQuest.

  Source

• Clarivate acquires ProQuestM&A

  Background

  ProQuest owned Dialog following its 2008 acquisition from Thomson Reuters.

  Action taken

  Clarivate acquired ProQuest, thereby adding ProQuest Dialog to its information and analytics portfolio.

  Aftermath

  ProQuest Dialog became associated with Clarivate's broader research and information-services business.

  Source

1. 1ProQuest Dialogen.wikipedia.org