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August 1974, Vol. 46, No. 9 Editor: HERBERT A. LAITINEN analytical chemistry EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS 1155 Sixteenth St N.W. Washington, D.C:'20036 Phone. 202-872-4600 Teletype: 710-822015 1 Managing Editor: Virginia E. Stewart Associate Editor: Assistant Editor: Editorial Assistant: Linda A. Ferragut Josephine M. Petruzzi Andrew A. Husovsky GRAPHICS AND PRODUCTION STAFF Manager: Leroy L. Corcoran Associate Manager: Charlotte C. Sayre Art Director: Norman W . Favin Artist: Linda McKnight Editorial Assistant: Nancy J. Oddenino EASTON, PA. Associate Editor: Elizabeth R. Rufe EDITORIAL PROCESSING DEPARTMENT, - ADVWORY BOARD:Allen J. Bard, Fred Baumann David F. Boltz E. G. Brame, Jr., Warrgn B Crummett M. A. Evenson Henry M. Faies A. F. Gindeis Kennetd W. Gardiner, Jdck M. Gill, JAanette G. Grasselli R. S. Juvet Jr., Theodore Kuwana: Oscar Menis, H'arold F. Walton INSTRUMENTATION ADVISORY PANEL: Jonathan W. Amy Stanley R. Crouch Richard A. Durst, j. J. Kirkland, Ronald H. Laessig, Marvq Margoshes, Harold M. McNair, David Seligson, Howard J. Sloane - - Contributing Editor: Claude A. Lucchesi Department of Chemistry, Sorthwestern L-niversity, Evanston, Ill. 60201 -_ Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 1155 16th Street, N. W. Washington. D.C. 20036 Books and Journals Division John K Crum Director Ruth Reynard Charles R. Bertsch Head, Editorial Assistant to the Director - Processing Department D. H. Michael Bowen Head, Journal8 Department Bacil Guile Head, Graphics and Seldon W. Terrant Productfon Department Development Department Head, Research and Advertising Management CENTCOM, LTD. (for Branch Offices, see page 843 A) For submission of manuscripts, see page 766 A Is the Research Journal Doomed? Recent trends are placing the traditional means of informa- tion dissemination and storage through the scientific research journal into jeopardy. The increasing specialization and enor- mous growth of research has caused a proliferation of journals of narrow scope and, correspondingly, the number of specialists in- terested in a given article have become widely scattered throughout the world. Journals of wide scope are finding a de- creasing fraction of their readers interested in a given article. Subscription costs, especially for journals not sponsored by sci- entific societies but by commercial publishers, have risen to the point that scientists are increasingly depending upon libraries rather than personal subscriptions for their access to the pri- mary literature. Development of copying devices has made it so convenient and inexpensive to reproduce printed material that, despite the copyright laws, publishers are faced with a sort of secondary distribution pathway that is seriously undermining the traditional system. The traditional sources of income, namely subscription charg- es and reprint sales, have been supplemented for many journals by page charges. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY has, for many years, been almost unique among primary research journals in having a sizeable magazine section carrying advertising. Substantial amounts of feature and review material can be provided in addi- tion to research papers at a nominal subscription cost without levying page charges. Why can't all research journals do the same? The reason is simply that there is only a relatively fixed amount of total advertising revenue available and, in a free mar- ket, it will cluster where experience shows it to be most effec- tive. Our readers are especially interested in methodology and instrumentation, and they regard the advertising matter as well as the research articles important in keeping up-to-date. Many journals will be experimenting with several methods of cutting the costs of the traditional approach. Some of these, in- cluding increased use of computer techniques in composition, will not be apparent to the user, whereas others such as micro- film, microfiche, miniprint and individualized reproductions from central storage will depart strongly from tradition. ANA- LYTICAL CHEMISTRY,with its dual character, will retain its traditional format until experiments by other journals clearly indicate advantages to be gained by innovation. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 46, NO. 9, AUGUST 1974 1161

Editorial. Is The Research Journal Doomed?

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August 1974, Vol. 46, No. 9

Editor: HERBERT A. LAITINEN

analytical chemistry

EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS 1155 Sixteenth St N.W. Washington, D.C:'20036 Phone. 202-872-4600 Teletype: 710-822015 1

Managing Editor: Virginia E. Stewart Associate Editor:

Assistant Editor:

Editorial Assistant: Linda A. Ferragut

Josephine M. Petruzzi

Andrew A. Husovsky

GRAPHICS AND PRODUCTION STAFF Manager: Leroy L. Corcoran Associate Manager: Charlotte C. Sayre Art Director: Norman W. Favin Artist: Linda McKnight

Editorial Assistant: Nancy J. Oddenino

EASTON, PA.

Associate Editor: Elizabeth R. Rufe

EDITORIAL PROCESSING DEPARTMENT,

- ADVWORY BOARD: Allen J. Bard, Fred

Baumann David F. Boltz E. G. Brame, Jr., Warrgn B Crummett M. A. Evenson Henry M. Faies A. F. Gindeis Kennetd W. Gardiner, Jdck M. Gill, JAanette G. Grasselli R. S. Juvet Jr., Theodore Kuwana: Oscar Menis, H'arold F. Walton

INSTRUMENTATION ADVISORY PANEL: Jonathan W. Amy Stanley R. Crouch Richard A. Durst, j . J. Kirkland, Ronald H. Laessig, M a r v q Margoshes, Harold M. McNair, David Seligson, Howard J. Sloane

-

- Cont r ibu t ing Editor: Claude A. Lucchesi

Department of Chemistry, Sorthwestern L-niversity, Evanston, Ill. 60201 -_

Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

1155 16th Street, N. W. Washington. D.C. 20036

Books a n d J o u r n a l s Division John K Crum Director Ruth Reynard

Charles R. Bertsch Head, Edi tor ia l

Assistant t o the Director -

Processing Depar tmen t D. H. Michael Bowen Head, Journal8

Depar tmen t Bacil Guile Head, Graphics a n d

Seldon W. Terrant Productfon Depar tmen t

Development Depar tmen t Head, Research a n d

Advertising Management CENTCOM, LTD.

(for Branch Offices, see page 843 A)

For submission of manuscripts, see page 766 A

Is the Research Journal Doomed? Recent trends are placing the traditional means of informa-

tion dissemination and storage through the scientific research journal into jeopardy. The increasing specialization and enor- mous growth of research has caused a proliferation of journals of narrow scope and, correspondingly, the number of specialists in- terested in a given article have become widely scattered throughout the world. Journals of wide scope are finding a de- creasing fraction of their readers interested in a given article. Subscription costs, especially for journals not sponsored by sci- entific societies but by commercial publishers, have risen to the point that scientists are increasingly depending upon libraries rather than personal subscriptions for their access to the pri- mary literature. Development of copying devices has made it so convenient and inexpensive to reproduce printed material that, despite the copyright laws, publishers are faced with a sort of secondary distribution pathway that is seriously undermining the traditional system.

The traditional sources of income, namely subscription charg- es and reprint sales, have been supplemented for many journals by page charges. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY has, for many years, been almost unique among primary research journals in having a sizeable magazine section carrying advertising. Substantial amounts of feature and review material can be provided in addi- tion to research papers a t a nominal subscription cost without levying page charges. Why can't all research journals do the same? The reason is simply that there is only a relatively fixed amount of total advertising revenue available and, in a free mar- ket, it will cluster where experience shows it to be most effec- tive. Our readers are especially interested in methodology and instrumentation, and they regard the advertising matter as well as the research articles important in keeping up-to-date.

Many journals will be experimenting with several methods of cutting the costs of the traditional approach. Some of these, in- cluding increased use of computer techniques in composition, will not be apparent to the user, whereas others such as micro- film, microfiche, miniprint and individualized reproductions from central storage will depart strongly from tradition. ANA- LYTICAL CHEMISTRY, with its dual character, will retain its traditional format until experiments by other journals clearly indicate advantages to be gained by innovation.

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 46, NO. 9, AUGUST 1974 1161