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Review Literature and the Chemist
Pages 545-570

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From page 545...
... There has been a corresponding ~ncrease in the size of abstracting journals and an increase in the number of review articles and review journals, but these publications, which may be regarded in part as keys to the literature, are beginning to add to the difficulties of information retrieval rather than to facilitate it. The large volume of research currently being undertaken has led to a corresponding demand for more critical interim summaries of work in progress and to periodic comprehensive surveys of particular fields.
From page 546...
... Chemists engaged entirely on research need comprehensive reviews on specialised topics supplemented with full and complete bibliographies, whilst those concerned mainly in lecturing and teaching ask for broadly based reviews with key references. Several chemists suggested that the cost of these annual review volumes was too high for individual purchase and a scheme whereby individual review articles could be purchased as offprints would be very useful.
From page 547...
... Several industrial chemists considered that much good review material was to be found in the private or semi-private house journals of industrial organisations and in general those working in the industrial field are less enthusiastic 1 1 A 1 _% ~ about the Annual Reviews of -- - and Advances in -- - series. (A complete list of review journals mentioned appears in Appendix 3 to this paper)
From page 548...
... Unfortunately they are not, and one cannot be certain that all work in a specific journal will be on the same subject. A reasonable compromise would be for all journals which publish original work and reviews to confine the reviews to a review section, as many already do.
From page 549...
... There is considerable feeling that a learned society would have a stifling influence on review writing, and many feel that there should be an outlet alternative to publishin~ caners through a learned society. This argument is attractive but dupli~ ~ 1 o ~ 1 1 ~ 1 1 1 ~ ~ :& ·_ J~ LO 1 __ L~,L~ cation and overlapping or reviews unaen~ao~y exists, and ~~ ~s uouc~uu~ we the alleged advantage of complete freedom to publish whatever editors will accept is more important than the wastage inevitably involved in such a system.
From page 550...
... If we had documentation centres staffed by specialists and equipped with electronic computing machines and if the university and industrial laboratories were in telecommunication with these centrss, then surely one could dispense with a great deal of printed information. Such a development would certainly obviate the need for annotated reference reviews, and it would be a most useful supplement to scientific publication generally.
From page 551...
... This attitude is one which, if it persists, might very wed cause a breakdown in the whole system of information storage and retrieval, for it is essential, if we are to use the most efficient methods of organizing scientific literature in a scientific way, that we encourage first class scientists to specialise in documentation, library, and information techniques. It cannot be over emphasised that those who record, retrieve, and disseminate either information about or the results of scientific discovery are as vital to the community as the discoverers themselves.
From page 552...
... Q.10. Do you prefer journals to carry original work and review articles or do you prefer reviews to be carried only in review journals?
From page 553...
... 41 These publications generally deal with a narrow field. If it is one's own field, the original literature is usually available and more useful.
From page 554...
... journals. I would suggest a separate journal of reviews in analytical chem istry with more chemical journals accepting review articles as well as original papers.
From page 555...
... plans and feel free to request authors to include fields or aspects which might seem neglected or to give reasons for not cloing so. QUESTION 10 Do you prefer journals to carry original work and review articles or do you prefer reviews to be carried only in review journals?
From page 556...
... QUESTION 16 Do you consider a central documentation service which could supply selected references in particular fields to be an alternative or a useful supplement to review publication? Serial No.
From page 557...
... 13 Apart from Annual Reports review articles probably arise through the author's own feeling of a need for a review in a particular subject. This method may be a bit haphazard but is probably a reasonable one, and may account for a spontaneity and freshness in review articles which might be lost if more rigid control of articles was exercised.
From page 558...
... With the greatly increased output of scientific literature every effort is needed to keep the vast volume of literature within bounds so that the task of the reader is rendered easier and he is not confused by endless repetition. 35 I find the most useful form of review is one with a short intro duction with reference to major contributions, the bulk of the review covering the more recent history systematically and com prehensively indicating in very general terms the material which may be found in the references quoted.
From page 559...
... well be encouraged and extencled even to the extent of taking larger review articles. Such reviews are reasonably priced and easily available to Fellows ofthe Chemical Society.
From page 560...
... Our outstanding problem is not the shortage of reviews, even of good reviews, but the shortage of time to read and absorb them. I would commend the Commonwealth Bureau of Agricultural Sciences as a model which could perhaps usefully be followed in other branches of chemical research where review and bibliogra phic service are wanting.
From page 561...
... 29. Commonwealth Bureau of Agriculture Publications Discussions ofthe Faraday Society Endeavour Fortschritte der chemischen Forschung Industrial and Engineering Chemistry (Annual Review issue)
From page 562...
... All scientists represented by the completed questionnaires have been categorized by the type of Institution in which they are employed according to the following code: G In Aac Agricultural College Ap Polytechnic At Technical College Au University Auc University College Aum University Medical School Government Laboratory Private Industry Nationalised Industry In all answers the following code applies: Y An affirmative answer A modified affirmative, e.g., "sometimes,~ y N A negative answer No answer given ''might be useful" All periodicals are referred to by the running number assigned to them in Appendix 3. This applies to the answers to questions (4)
From page 563...
... QUESTION 10. Do you prefer journals to carry original work and review articles or do you prefer reviews to be carried only in review journals?
From page 564...
... S64 Monographs,Compendia~and Specialized Centersfor Retrieval AREAS x s P7llY7n; rll87~0 .= N ~ 'CO O Cat _ .I:q ~ ~ .~^ 0^om-^ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ED 0£ ".~ 0 ~.s ~~ =O ~O =~o ~ O -~ ’ ’ ’ ~ ’ O ~ {~0 ~ Vie ~ ~ =' ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ D c.
From page 565...
... BRUNNING Review Literature and the Chemist 56s ._, 0 ~ ~ ~ E ~ - ~ ~~ ~ ~ it~ ~ lo ~ ~ = ~~= 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ z ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 z ~ ~ ~ oo 1 I_ ~ ^ ~ ~ ~ *
From page 566...
... ~66 Monographs, Compendia, and Specialized Centersfor Retrieval AREA 3 St _- ~ EM En . :~ ~ QJ palling D~77710 E ~ d S/tl71~71 To °N ~; ~^ .~ .~ ~$ ~ As U)
From page 567...
... BRUNN~G Review Literature and the Chemist S67 =o 3 r ~ l ~ ~ 1 U C ~!
From page 568...
... . revlewmg 6 _ Ys Already exists for Ys learned society publications Probably advantageous Good reviews with access to literature is suf~ naent Ys Probably 3 N 5 N Unless the centre could supply critical expositions Ya N 1 N 3 Ys But 3 & 4 Ys _ Ys 5 1;5 Y Would help overcome deEays in review publication N 3; see Appendix 2 N 2
From page 569...
... · . t~meJoD 33 — Y c Y N N 5 34 N O y a Y Y Y N N 35 Laboratory S Y b Y N N N Would delay N 4 technique and publication apparatus 36 N O Y a y y Y y 6;avoidstrangle- Ys hold on authors 37 N O Y aorc Y Y Y More up-to-date Ys Iffree from ted industrial mat- tape ter is needed 38 Application of O or y a or c Y Y Y y They should Y See Appendix 2 Natural S sponsor Sciences to reviews Archeology 39 Packaging O Y c Y Y Y Y Re-form the y but 3 Bureau-of Abstracts and include Industrial Associations 40 NP Y b N Y Y N 2 41 — NP Y c N N N N 4 Ys 42 N S N b Y y Y N No significant N 2;5 advantage 43 Patent literature S y a Y N N N 4 N 4 44 Colloid science - S N c Y y Y N 3;seeAppendix2 Ys See Appendix2 45 - S Y b y y Y N — N 46 Solid state S y c Y N Y Y See Question 8 Ys Time saving in lit chemistry erasure survey would be great —reviews can not hope to be comprehens~ve over wide fields often required 47 — S Y c Y Y Y — N 48 — O;see Y c Y y y Y Already exists to Ys 3;prefer coherent Appen- some extent renew w~th dix 2 suitable bibliog raphy 49 N S N c N N Y y For border line ys But 3 & 4 fields 50 History ofthe NP N b or y N N N 3; reviews Y But it might in subject in all c can be commis- volve an ex its aspects sioned if re- travagant misuse quired ofable people
From page 570...
... s7o Monographs, Compendia, and Specialized Centersfor Retrieval AREA 3 TABLE 2 Tabulation of data, continued 9 10 11 12 13 13a 14 1 ;:: a Inadequate review s~, x~ Scientific ~ ; ~~ coverage ~ ~ Sympos~a Reports 51 S 52 Combustion S Theoretical spectroscopy 53 — S Y c Y N N b y N N Y aor Y y Y N S Y c 15 16 Y Y Y Y Coordination and control Documentatio1~ centre Code Comment Code Cvmment N 5 N See Appendix 2 N 3 Ys Y 6; see Appendix Ys A review is a cre 2 ative disserta tion; a supply of references as well would be sheer perfection Would have to include border line subjects Coordinationbe- Y tween di~erent sciences also necessary, e.g., physics & chemistry 55 N S Y b or Y N N N — N 1;3 56 N S N c or y Y Y N 3; world-wide N 1 N control im practicable 57 - S y NP See N N Y 6 N Appen dix2 58 N S Y b Y N Y y 6; but overlap- Ys Not to displace ping not reviews necessarily ob jectionable 59 N S Y b See y Y N N 3 Appen dix 2 60 N O & Y b or y N y N 3; publishers N 1;2 S c should give advance information 61 N NP y b y N Y — — Ys One may learn about work one has missed in one's own field. 62 Theoretical S Y c y Y Y N 2 Ys spectroscopy 63 N O Y b Y y Y N 64 N S N b N y N y 65 S Y c y Y N N Too much Ys .


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