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Dialog Expands Dialog eLinks, Integrated Linking Tool For Dialog® & Dialog DataStar™ Users

CARY, N.C., USA (April 14, 2004) — Dialog, a Thomson (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) business and a leading worldwide provider of online-based information services and integrated information solutions, today said that it has expanded its Dialog eLinks service to facilitate access from its Dialog® and Dialog DataStar™ services to a subscribing organization’s collection of electronic journals and other research documents.

Previous linking tools available through Dialog and Dialog DataStar (which had been referred to as “e-Journal Linking” on Dialog services and “Starlinks” on Dialog DataStar) have now been combined into a single offering, with additional functionality.

The company also said that it has added 32 databases to the roster of those enabled with Dialog eLinks, increasing the total number of Dialog databases with e-linking to 60. The number of publishers now making their materials available for linking is 147, representing a total of more than 11,200 journals, conference proceedings and other research sources.

The additional Dialog databases now with linking capabilities cover a range of research areas, including agriculture, biomedical, chemistry, economics, geology, mathematics and others.

Dialog eLinks, designed for information professionals using advanced searching techniques as well as individuals using guided-search features, help organizations subscribing to the Dialog and Dialog DataStar services to more efficiently utilize and access their electronic subscriptions.

The service enables users to link seamlessly from abstracts and citations retrieved from Dialog and Dialog DataStar databases to the fulltext of the referenced articles and conference proceedings published in scholarly and professional journals, mostly peer-reviewed scientific, technical and medical publications. The electronic links connect from the Dialog services to libraries maintained by companies and other organizations for their in-house research, as well as to Web sites maintained by journal publishers or aggregators representing them.

“E-linking has proved to be an important development in the professional information market, particularly for scientific, medical and technical researchers,” said Cynthia Murphy, Dialog senior vice president, strategic marketing. “Because links are integrated into a researcher’s workflow, they are a significant convenience. Researchers can find their journal articles and proceedings quickly, rather than having to take multiple steps to get to the materials they need.”

Murphy also stressed the financial benefits of Dialog eLinks. “More and more companies and research organizations are subscribing to electronic journals for their worldwide staffs. Linking directly from Dialog or Dialog DataStar to the fulltext of an electronic journal article improves the return on those investments because it promotes more use of those e-journals.”

New Functionality Adds Flexibility

A new, upgraded common subscription manager interface, called the Dialog eLinks Manager, allows e-journal administrators with both Dialog and Dialog DataStar subscriptions to easily manage access to e-journals through one interface.

Other features of the new Dialog eLinks Manager make it easier to search and locate journal titles, add journal subscriptions by volume and issue, accommodate partial-year subscriptions and manage multiple subscription ranges for a journal title.

Other enhancements to the Dialog eLinks Manager include the ability to link via the OpenURL Framework (enabling users to link from their in-house library catalogs), improved capability to upload and download subscription information from spreadsheets and new usage tracking and reporting tools.

Dialog eLinks are provided to Dialog and Dialog DataStar users without charge. For more information about Dialog eLinks services, or to enable an existing Dialog or Dialog DataStar account, please visit our Web site at: http://www.dialog.com/products/ejournal/.

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About Dialog and The Thomson Corporation
Dialog, a pioneer in developing the technology behind electronic information retrieval, is the world leader in providing online-based information services to organizations seeking competitive advantages in such fields as business, science, engineering, finance and law.

Today, the online services provided by Dialog — offered through the Dialog®, Dialog Profound®, Dialog DataStar™, NewsEdge and Intelligence Data brands — give users the ability to precisely retrieve data from more than 1.4 billion unique records, accessible via the Internet or through delivery to enterprise intranets. Searchable content includes articles and reports from thousands of real-time news feeds, newspapers, broadcast transcripts and trade publications, plus research reports and analyst notes providing support for financial decision-making, as well as in-depth repositories of scientific and technical data, patents, trademarks and other intellectual property data. Information professionals and end-users at business, professional and government organizations in more than 100 countries prize Dialog services for their depth and breadth of content, precision searching and speed.

Based in Cary, N.C., USA, Dialog has operations in 31 other countries. Dialog (www.dialog.com) is a business of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). With 2003 revenues of US$7.6 billion, Thomson (www.thomson.com) is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers.

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All designated trademarks used herein are the property of The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries. Registered marks are registered by The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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