December 17, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



583 



helium atom will not account for the observed 

 ionization potentials of that element. 



Edwin C. Kemble 

 Jefferson Physical Labosatokt, 

 Hakvaed Uniyeesity 



reprints from scientific institutions 



The librarian is not alone, I imagine, in 

 considering the boimd scientific reprints is- 

 sued as contributions from a given laboratory, 

 most difficult to handle. There should really 

 be no place for articles already published to 

 appear escept as reprinted separates. With- 

 out doubt, a bound volume of the publications 

 of an institution serves as a report of the work 

 done. But a list of the authors and titles 

 of papers with the place and time of publica- 

 tion would serve this purpose just as well or 

 better. Certain imiversities issue such lists 

 of the publications of their staffs, and give 

 these lists imder the different departmental 

 heads. This seems eminently worth while even 

 where the number of publications in a depart- 

 ment is scant. 



The department of physiology of one uni- 

 versity and the department of botany in an- 

 other send to this library serial lists of their 

 publications and with the lists the separates 

 themselves, placed in order in a folder. This 

 seems as nearly a perfect method as can be 

 devised. The lists may be filed in any con- 

 venient way and the separates dealt with ac- 

 cording to the method found most useful to 

 the recipient. The expense of binding is 

 saved to the institution issuing these sepa- 

 rates, and while the distribution of the sep- 

 arates may be selective, the printed lists can 

 be given a wide publicity. Such lists if 

 issued very generally would make useful bib- 

 liographies and could be systematically filed. 

 At the same time, the departmental library, 

 so important in these days of disappearing 

 private libraries, would have to handle a given 

 article but twice, the original in journal form 

 and the separate. 



Pkiscilla B. Montgomery 

 Assistant Librarian, 

 Marine Biological Laboratory, 

 Woods Hole, Mass. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE PHILOSOPHY AND 

 ETHICS OF RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION 



To THE Editor of Science: Dr. Erwin F. 

 Smith may have performed a service to the 

 plant pathologists in publishing his "Intro- 

 duction to bacterial diseases of plants," as I 

 have no doubt he has; but he has surely per- 

 formed a service to scientists everywhere, of 

 every denomination, in publishing the last 

 chapter of that book, " Part V. General Ob- 

 servations." In this he has collected the re- 

 sults of observation in the realms of the litera- 

 ture of science, the scientific method, the life 

 of science and the science of life, all of 

 which really does not express the material he 

 has there collected. A catalogue of the head- 

 ings the author has used will be more reveal- 

 ing. Here they are: 



On subsidiary studies 



On seeing things 



On experimentation 



On beginning work thoughtlessly 



On interpretation of phenomena 



On repetition of experiments — other people 's, one 's 

 own 



On publication 



On clearness in presentation 



On brevity of statement — ^when brevity is not de- 

 sirable 



On the ethics of research 



On keeping one's own counsel 



On team work 



On sharing credits 



On attending meetings and keeping up member- 

 ship in societies, and on being generally public- 

 spirited and helpful in science 



On rest and recreation 



The student of science will find here coun- 

 sel of the greatest value on such a subject as 

 the preparation of a paper. "Would that I 

 might quote all that he says ! " Many a big 

 book could have been boiled down to a few 

 chapters, and in some cases to a few sentences, 

 or to nothing at all, had its author been 

 possessed of clear ideas." " Easy writing is 

 hard reading." "... it is your solemn duty 

 to sum up the substance of your contribution 

 in a series of brief conclusions which every- 

 one will read, and which, if well put, may 

 induce many to turn back and read your whole 



