664 



NATURE 



[May 20, 1922 



The Universities and the Publication of the 

 Results of Research in America. 



ONE of the principal subjects dealt with by the 

 Association of American Universities in their 

 conference last November was the publication of the 

 results of research. Scientific and learned periodicals 

 are numerous in the United States, and there has 

 until the present been but little co-ordination. 

 " The American Chemical Society," says the editor 

 of the Yale Review, " now has under its management 

 three journals : a monthly devoted to the theoretical 

 aspects of the subject, another monthly devoted to 

 industrial chemistry, and Chemical Abstracts, which 

 reviews twice a month all publications carrying new 

 contributions to chemistry in its various phases. 

 The question of a similar consolidation has reached 

 at least the stage of discussion in several other 

 National Societies in order, not only to avoid duplica- 

 tion, but also to reduce overhead costs, and to bring 

 together where it may be readily examined material 

 that now lies hidden in hundreds of places and so 

 may be easily overlooked." He suggests that 

 universities might support periodicals published by 

 such national societies in preference to establishing 

 their own separate periodicals, and in particular, that 

 instead of requiring dissertations for the doctor's 

 degree to be published in extenso they should cause 

 them to be " cut down to the bone " and the skeletons 

 thus obtained to be given to the national societies 

 for publication in their journals. The societies on 

 their part might, he suggests, have their printing 

 done by the University Presses. 



An- interesting sketch was given by the Director 

 of the Wistar Institute for the Advancement of 

 Biological Science of the operation since 1908 of a 

 " plan for assembling and publishing a number of 

 national zoological journals under one central manage- 

 ment." So successful has this proved that the 

 combined annual sales of five journals has increased 

 from 1410 to 5286 copies, while the income has been 

 gradually overtaking the cost, notwithstanding a 

 lavish distribution of free copies, notably 5000 

 dollars' worth to the principal libraries of Europe — 

 a policy begun immediately after the armistice was 

 signed and to be continued for five years. 



The factors of success are thus summarised : a 

 whole-hearted co-operation of the men of science 

 interested, whether as author, editor, publisher, or 

 reader, a centralised management looking ever to 

 prompt publication and extensive distribution with 

 efficiency and economy, concentration on a group of 

 journals limited to one field of research, and guarantee 

 both financial and scientific of an endowed institution 

 devoted to the same field of science. A feature of 

 the Institute's methods of publishing the results of 

 research is the system of " Bibliographic Service 

 Cards." These include the author's abstract as 

 well as complete bibliographic references, and an 

 announcement of the date when the complete article 

 will appear. They are issued fortnightly to sub- 

 scribers to all the Institute's journals, and extra 

 copies are often distributed for advertising purposes. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Manchester. — The Council of the University has 

 appointed Dr. Robert Robinson to the chair of organic 

 chemistry which was vacant owing to the appoint- 

 ment of iProf. A. Lapworth to the chair of chemistry. 

 Prof. Robinson graduated at Manchester University 

 in 1905 with first-class honours in chemistry and was 

 a graduate scholar and Le Blanc medallist. As 



research student, and later as a lecturer in organic 

 chemistry in the University, a remarkable series of 

 papers on natural plant products were produced in 

 conjunction with Prof. W. H. Perkin and others. His 

 synthetic work has also been singularly skilful. His 

 work has been often concerned with the processes 

 taking place in the living organism and has in. many 

 directions shown the way to development in bio- 

 chemistry. In addition to his academic work, Prof. 

 Robinson, as Director of Industrial Research to the 

 British Dyestuffs Corporation, has gained experience 

 of working conditions especially valuable to such an 

 important centre of the dyestufE industry as Man- 

 chester. Prof. Robinson has previously held chairs 

 of organic chemistry at Sydney and Liverpool, and 

 the chair of chemistry at St. Andrews. He was 

 elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1920. 



The Delegacy of the City and Guilds (Engmeering) 

 College has appointed Prof. C. L. Fortescue, of the 

 Royal Naval College, Greenwich, to succeed Prof. 

 T. Mather, who is resigning the chair of electrical 

 engineering in the College at the close of the present 

 session. 



The Dr. Edith Pechey Phipson post-graduate 

 scholarship of the London (Royal Free Hospital) 

 School of Medicine will be awarded in June. It is 

 open to all medical women, preferably coming from 

 India, or going to work in India, for assistance in 

 post-graduate study. It is of the annual value of 

 100/., for a term not exceeding three years. Applica 

 tions for the scholarship must reach the Warden 

 and Secretary of the School, 8 Hunter Street, W.C.i 

 by May 31. 



Recent appointments to the staff of the Technical 

 College, Bradford, include Mr. R. E. Stradling, as 

 head of the department of civil engineering in the 

 college, and Mr. H. J. B. Chappie, as lecturer in 

 electrical engineering. 



Applications are invited for the Ray-Lankester 

 Investigatorship at the Marine Biological Laboratory, 

 Plymouth. The post is of the value of 100/. and is 

 tenable for fifteen months, out of which the in- 

 vestigator will be required to devote five months at 

 the laboratory to some subject of marine research. 

 Applications should be addressed to the Director. 



A conference of representatives of the Univer- 

 sities of Great Britain and Ireland was held on 

 Saturday last. May 13, at University College, London, 

 under the presidency of Sir Donald MacAlister, vice- 

 chancellor and principal of the University of Glasgow. 

 The discussion on advanced study and research was 

 opened by Dr. J. C. Irvine, vice-chancellor and 

 principal of the University of St. Andrews. Dr. 

 Irvine expressed the opinion that research should be 

 controlled in every university by a board or standing 

 committee, with power to recommend changes in the 

 teaching staffs of departments actively engaged in 

 research, to allocate money voted for research pur- 

 poses, and to consider such questions as travelling 

 and publication grants. 



Dr. L. R. Farnell, vice-chancellor of the University 

 of Oxford, who opened the discussion on specialised 

 study, stated that the idea of having one university 

 for physical science and another for the humanities 

 would be fatal to the cultivation of both branches of 

 knowledge. On the other hand, it must be recognised 

 that by reason of their surroundings, some universities 

 were peculiarly fitted for certain studies. Mr. Fisher 

 joined in this discussion, emphasising the growing 

 need for co-operation between the universities, in 

 respect of the distribution of studies according to the 

 particular advantages of each. It was suggested that 



NO. 2742, VOL. 109] 



