9 



note we are considering merely the scientific 

 journals. Their part is to provide preliminary 

 abstracts. And since this can be done at very 

 small additional expense to each and since the 

 saving of time for scientists would be in the 

 aggregate considerable, surely there can be 

 no question as to the advisability of the adop- 

 tion of this policy by every scientific journal. 



Wliat obstacles stand in the way? The ad- 

 ditional expense is, as just stated, small. The 

 abstract would be less than five per cent of 

 the article on the average, and if the sum- 

 mary usually placed at the end were omitted, 

 as could well be done because its function 

 would be served by the abstract, the increase 

 in length of the article would be little or noth- 

 ing. But, on the other hand, the addition of 

 abstracts would undoubtedly considerably in- 

 crease the burdens of the already overburdened 

 editors, and one would shrink from suggesting 

 that they add to their labors the drudgery as- 

 sociated with securing and editing the ab- 

 stracts if it were not clear that the gain to the 

 many investigators would be many times the 

 cost to the few. 



At present, in addition to the Astrophysical 

 Journal, Physical Review, and Journal of the 

 American Ceramic Society, which require ana- 

 lytic abstracts, the following fourteen scien- 

 tific and engineering journals give preliminary 

 abstracts: The group of biological journals 

 published by the Wistar Institute of Anatomy 

 and Biology — American Journal of Anatomy, 

 American Anatomical Memoirs, Anatomical 

 Record, Journal of Comparative Neurology, 

 Journal of ExpeAmental Zoology, and Journal 

 of Morphology; also Physiological Researches; 

 Proc. of London Physical Society, Trans, of 

 American Electrochemical Society, Trans, of 

 American Institute of Electrical Engineers, 

 Trans, of American Society of Civil Engineers, 

 Trans, of American Society of Mechanical En- 



