However, timeliness can also include the ability to access information, for example, an organic synthesis, that may have been published half a century ago. For the databases compared here, timeliness will be compared in terms of the time lag between when the application is published and when it appears in the database, and in terms of historical coverage. Completeness means that the researcher can be confident that she or he has accessed all of the important information available, or, stated another way, that the researcher has not missed information that could strongly affect, even render worthless, her or his work. Accuracy means accessing the information that is needed without missing important information, but also without retrieving unimportant information. For the databases compared, accuracy will be discussed in terms of searchable index fields and the quality of the indexes.
Precision means being able to access information in enough detail to allow practical use of it.
For a researcher, this often means experimental procedures and results, usually in sufficient detail to reproduce the invention. For the databases compared, precision will mean availability of images and experimental detail. Economy will be compared for the online databases in terms of online fees and the cost of retrieving documents.