FEB. 19, 1921 sosman: distribution of scientific information 93 



certain joint interests that are local and not divided according to 

 sciences, finds a demand for a journal which shall represent those 

 joint interests in news, society proceedings, and announcements of 

 the research going on in the city, and strives to fill that need ; it may 

 not always be perfectly filled but it is there. 



As the number of periodicals relentlessly increases, the need for 

 efficient and thorough abstracting and indexing is being more and 

 more felt and provided for. For example, chemistry and a large part 

 of physics is being admirably served by Mr. Crane in Chemical Ab- 

 stracts. Geology and allied sciences are excellently handled by Mr. 

 Nickles in the annual index issued by the U. S. Geological Survey. 

 Indexing and abstracting is a developing art, which should not be 

 left to amateur bungling, but should be turned over to individuals 

 trained and well paid for the work. 



The relation of advertising to scientific and technical journals 

 is a matter of especial interest. It is said that any periodical which 

 can attain a circulation of 5000 or more can support itself on adver- 

 tising. Why should scientific periodicals not make better use of 

 this fact? 



I have already mentioned the Chemical Society's experiment with 

 the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry , which returns 

 from its advertising a considerable revenue to the Society. Now there 

 is nothing in this situation to abrogate the old rule that "No man can 

 serve two masters." If the time ever comes when the interests of 

 the Society and the interests of the advertisers come into conflict, 

 the Journal either will have to stand by its advertisers or will have 

 to change its character. Naturally, both the advertisers and the 

 Society will seek to avoid occasions which would lead to disagreement ; 

 but that is only another way of saying that the advertisers will exert 

 a considerable influence on the policies of the Society, whether they 

 wish to or not. 



The situation is further complicated by the existence in the same 

 field of the periodical Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, which 

 is published for profit and not as the organ of any society. It has 

 the advantages over the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chem- 

 istry (1) of publication weekly instead of monthly, making its news 

 much fresher and therefore more in demand; (2) of freedom to use 

 its own income for its own purposes, not for carrying another organ- 

 ization on its back. The Journal, on the other hand, (1) has the 

 prestige of representing the largest chemical society in the world and 



