The Lancaster Index
(LI) is a bibliographic database of open-source journal
articles and monographs relating to defence and
international security affairs. Nearly all of these are
held on the shelves of the Library at the University of
Lancaster, UK. The database comprises indexed and
cross-referenced citations, usually with descriptive
summaries or abstracts, of some 330 publications since
the mid-1980s.
These include:
- government publications
- professional armed forces journals and bulletins
- academic journals and occasional papers
- research institute monographs
- commercial and industry periodicals dealing with
military industries and technologies
The database is updated weekly, at a rate of
approximately 10,000 new citations per year. The current
number of records in the database, along with the date
of the last update, is stated on the Home Page.
Because of the quantity of material being published
over a complex field of inter-related subjects, LI
focuses mainly on the secondary sources - the
full-length analyses in which authors have often carried
out much research on the primary sources, and have
provided detailed supporting references. These can
themselves be a valuable resource to researchers, in
pointing to further materials for study. The data format
therefore includes a full bibliographic description
(including all graphic and tabular material, plus a
count of footnotes and literature references). Citations
also include a concise abstract, or description of the
contents, wherever that might assist a decision on
research effort investment.
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