Orderly communication through research journals may be jeopardized by a developing national information system that is beginning to encroach on the domain of the primary publication system. The author also believes mass distribution of unedited, unreferred and often unproofread preprints, which has recently been proposed, would put journals out of business or transform them into depositories.
STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL of information is currently a subject of considerable urgency and one that affects all branches of science. I know that PHYSICS TODAY readers are concerned about the problem, and I suspect that they are, as I am, rather uneasy about many trends in journal publication. I want to discuss some of them in detail, but first I would like very briefly to present some background information.
2. COSATI Report PB 168 267 (AD 624 560). Recommendations for National Document Handling Systems in Science and Technology, available from Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, US Department of Commerce, Springfield, Va. 22151.
3. V. Z. Williams, E. Hutchisson, H. C. Wolfe, PHYSICS TODAY 19, no. 1, 45 (1966); https://doi.org/PHTOAD P. A. Atherton, PHYSICS TODAY 19, no. 1, 58 (1966).https://doi.org/PHTOAD
More about the Authors
Simon Pasternack.
The Physical Review, American Physical Society.
Technical knowledge and skills are only some of the considerations that managers have when hiring physical scientists. Soft skills, in particular communication, are also high on the list.
Research exchanges between US and Soviet scientists during the second half of the 20th century may be instructive for navigating today’s debates on scientific collaboration.
The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards in 1953. Suspecting political interference with the agency’s research, scientists fought back—and won.
Alternative undergraduate physics courses expand access to students and address socioeconomic barriers that prevent many of them from entering physics and engineering fields. The courses also help all students develop quantitative skills.
October 01, 2025 12:00 AM
Get PT in your inbox
Physics Today - The Week in Physics
The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.
