These days, seasoned
researchers as well as students of science must constantly battle an
information overload that gets in the way of their pursuit of knowledge.
Scientists are always playing catch-up in an attempt to stay abreast of the
literature, whether their interests are narrowly or broadly focused. Science
cannot escape some responsibility as a contributor to this information glut. As
a broadly based weekly journal of original research findings, we aim to
communicate to our readers the latest important research events, whether first
reported in our own pages or in other journals. We also strive to provide
international scientific coverage of discoveries, as viewed by both scientists
and science journalists. But how do our readers stay afloat in this constant
flood of new information? We suspect that after readers flip through the latest
issue looking for news stories and new results pertinent to their fields of
interest, the issue goes onto a pile, awaiting that elusive moment of free time
when the interesting papers can be recovered and studied in depth. Frequently,
the desire to learn is overwhelmed by the desperation caused by having too
little time and too much to do. Since the launch of our World Wide Web pages on
23 June 1995, we have been sampling the reactions of readers who are attracted
to this form of scientific information exchange. So far, our “Beyond the
Printed Page” features have expanded the kinds of information we offer our
readers to include supplements to the printed material and forums for exchanges
of ideas and interpretations, as well as the opportunity to gain a preview of
what the printed version will contain when it arrives. Beginning with this
issue, the printed material of Science should become much more accessible to
the busy scholar. Science in print will now be complemented by “Science
On-Line”, jointly developed with HighWire Press of the Stanford University
Library. This new version of our electronic communication channel allows us to
move ahead with the first in a series of new tools for organizing the
information we and others publish. In addition to full text of the Table of
Contents, the Editorial, and This Week in Science, “Science On-Line” will offer
full abstracts of all original Research Articles and Reports; summaries of the
Perspectives, Policy Forums, Research News, and News and Comment features; a
Table of Contents organized by subject area; and links between related
features. Furthermore, through the use of a simple but potent search engine
developed by HighWire to fit our needs, “Science On-Line” readers can now
recover from their piles that long-lost item that looked so interesting when it
arrived. Beginning with the 6 October issue, readers can search by authors, key
words, or dates. The search results will indicate if the item is an Article,
Report, News story, Perspective, and so on. As our digital archives accumulate,
threads connecting general topics will emerge so that one can begin to put into
perspective the ways in which new data and ideas relate to previous items on
related topics. In keeping with our goal of providing our readers with more
tools to aid their scholarly pursuits, our new electronic armamentarium also
includes access to the databases of the Community of Science, to allow users to
identify others working in a given area of science and to communicate directly
with them. In addition, through special arrangements with the Community of
Science, browsers at our Web site can access the Federally Funded Research
databases of projects already under way. “Science On-Line” also features new
links to “Science’s Electronic Marketplace,” where the latest information on
tools, reagents, and other devices, as well as research-related services, can
be acquired. Links to the Global Career Network will provide the latest
information on job opportunities, searchable by key words. More new interactive
features have been added to “Science’s Next Wave,” now taking on a life of its
own in providing new facts and people connections for those beginning their
scientific careers. We invite experienced browsers of the first edition of
Science’s Web page, as well as those who are curious but Web-wary, to take a
look. All of these tools are freely available for now. We ask only that you
tell us about yourself via the guestbook button the first time you browse, and
give us your impressions via the feedback button when you have used the system.
The next additions to our tool kit for science scholars are already well along
in their development. We look forward to your suggestions.