Science (journal)

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Science
June 23, 2001 cover of Science
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June 23, 2001 cover of Science
Discipline interdisciplinary
Language English
Abbreviated title None
Publisher (country) AAAS (USA)
Publication history 1880 to present
(3 series of volumes)
Website Content URL

Informational URL

ISSN 0036-8075
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Science, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is one of the world's most prestigious scientific publications. Published weekly, the journal has a print subscriber base of around 130,000. Because institutional subscriptions and online access serve a larger audience, the estimated readership is one million people [1].

Although it is most concerned with publishing reports of recent and important research findings, Science is also known for publishing science-related news, opinions on science policy and other matters of interest to scientists and others who are concerned with the wide implications of science and technology. Although most scientific journals focus on a specific field, Science and its arch-rival Nature cover the full range of scientific disciplines. Science places special emphasis on the life sciences because of the expansion of biotechnology and genetics over the past few decades.

Although it is the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, membership in the AAAS is not required to publish in Science. Papers are accepted from authors around the world. Competition to publish in Science is very intense, as a article published in such a highly-cited journal can lead to attention and career advancement for the authors. Less than 10% of articles submitted to the editors are accepted for publication and all research articles are subject to peer review before they appear in the magazine.

Science is based in Washington, D.C. with a second office in Cambridge, England.

Contents

History

Science was founded by New York journalist John Michaels in 1880 with financial support from Thomas Edison and later from Alexander Graham Bell. However, the magazine never gained enough subscribers to succeed and ended publication in March of 1882. Entomologist Samuel H. Scudder resurrected the journal one year later and had some success while covering the meetings of prominent American scientific societies, including the AAAS [2]. However, by 1894, Science was again in financial difficulty and was sold to psychologist James McKeen Cattell for $500.

In an agreement worked out by Cattell and AAAS secretary Leland O. Howard, Science became the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1900 [3]. During the early part of the 20th century important articles published in Science included papers on fruit fly genetics by Thomas Hunt Morgan, gravitational lensing by Albert Einstein, and spiral nebulae by Edwin Hubble [4]. After Cattell died in 1944, the ownership of the journal was transferred to the AAAS. [5]

After Cattell's death, the magazine lacked a consistent editorial presence until Graham DuShane became editor in 1956. Physicist Philip Hauge Abelson, the co-discoverer of neptunium, served as editor from 1962 to 1984. Under Abelson the efficiency of the peer review process was improved and the publication practices were brought up to date [6]. During this time, papers on the Project Apollo missions and some of the earliest reports on AIDS were published [7].

Biochemist Daniel E. Koshland Jr served as editor from 1985 until 1995. From 1995 until 2000, neuroscientist Floyd Bloom held the position of editor [8]. Biologist Donald Kennedy became the editor of Science in 2000.

An article published in Science in 2002 on the neurotoxicity of the drug MDMA ("ecstasy") caused some controversy when a mix-up of vials caused the paper to be retracted in 2003.

Availability

Full-text of archive articles is not generally made available to the public. Full text is available online to AAAS members from the main journal website back to mid-1996. Individual and institutional subscriptions are also available for a fee (though it is significantly less expensive to simply join the AAAS and receive the magazine for free). The Science Website also gives free access to some articles as well as the complete table of contents of the current and past issues. Access to all articles on the Science website is free if the request comes from an IP address of a subscribing institution. Articles older than 5 to 6 years are available via JSTOR and recent articles older than 12 months are available via ProQuest.

See also

External links

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