CHEMICAL T I T L E S AS AN AID T O CURRENT CHEMICAL LITERATURE
RESULTS OBTAINED USING THE TECHNIQUE OUTLINED. -- The r e s u l t s l i s t e d i n T a b l e I p e r f o r c e r e f l e c t a n individualized point of view, but s o m e g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s c a n be m a d e . TABLE I RESULTS USING CHEMICAL TITLES Average time (minutes) per issue to scan Keyword Index, jot down code and check Bibliography Average number of code!; taken per issue Average number of titles taken per issue Average number of titles retained per issue after reading original articles
30 26
18 14
A r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l a m o u n t of t i m e i s r e quired p e r i s s u e . The d e c r e a s e i n the number of c o d e s and t i t l e s t a k e n i s evidence f o r t h e f a c t t h a t p a r t i a l t i t l e s i n t h e Keyword Index c a n be m i s l e a d i n g . The d e c r e a s e i n t h e n u m b e r of t i t l e s t a k e n and r e t a i n e d a f t e r r e a d i n g t h e o r i g i n a l a r t i c l e s i s evidence f o r t h e f a c t t h a t even c o m p l e t e t i t l e s of a r t i c l e s c a n be m i s l e a d i n g . H a m m e t t points out t h a t m o r e attention should be given t o t h e titling of published p a p e r s . !'I have long a r g u e d t h a t t h e t i t l e of e a c h s c i e n t i f i c p a p e r should i n d i c a t e w o r d s t h a t would s u g g e s t t o t h e potential r e a d e r e v e r y m a j o r subject discussed i n the paper . ' I 2 CRITICISMS O F CHEMICAL T I T L E S . -C T i s - c r i t i c i z e d both d e s t r u c t i v e l y and constructively. A. Destructive: (1) A limited n u m b e r of w o r d s ' a r e i n too long a s e r i e s of k e y w o r d s , e . g . , r e a c t i o n . ( 2 ) T i t l e s c a n be m i s l e a d i n g z t h a t t h e y m a y t e l l too m u c h o r not enough about a p a r t i c u l a r a r t i c l e . (3) The titling p r o b l e m i n t h e n o m e n c l a t u r e of new compounds is peculiar to organic chemistry.
17
B. C o n s t r u c t i v e : ( 1 ) CT i s t r u l y c u r r e n t . The m o s t r e c e n t i s s u e of C T c o n t a i n e d a p p r o x i m a t e l y 15% of t i t l e s w h i c h a r e i n j o u r n a l s not yet r e c e i v e d by t h e C h e m i s t r y and P h y s i c s Lib r a r y a t the Pennsylvania State University. ( 2 ) CT i s a t r e m e n d o u s t i m e s a v e r . T h e a r r a n g e m e n t of t h e Keyword Index and Bibliography a r e conducive t o r a p i d s u r v e y and s e l e c t i o n . The Keyword Index l i m i t s t h e t e m p t a t i o n t o get s i d e t r a c k e d on " i n t e r e s t i n g " s u b j e c t s a s i s often t h e c a s e with C h e m i c a l A b s t r a c t s ( C A ) . (3) red u c e s t h e p r o b a b i l i t y of m i s s i n g any given a r A or t i c l e by ( a ) not being s e c t i o n a l i z e d a s i n & C u r r e n t C h e m i c a l P a p e r s ( C C P ) , ( b ) having a built-in c h e c k s y s t e m , e . g . , i n t h e e x a m p l e given, t h e t i t l e would a p p e a r f i v e t i m e s i n t h e Keyword Index and ( c ) c o v e r i n g m o r e than t w i c e t h e numb e r of j o u r n a l s p e r i s s u e a s E P . In s u m m a r y , CT i s not t h e f i n a l a n s w e r t o t h e p r o b l e m of r a p i d and thorough c o m m u n i c a t i o n . On t h e o t h e r hand, =is by f a r the b e s t a p p r o a c h yet to t r u l y c u r r e n t l i t e r a t u r e , r e q u i r ing a m i n i m u m of t i m e and giving a m a x i m u m p r o b a b i l i t y of not m i s s i n g any given a r t i c l e . The a u t h o r acknowledges t h e c r i t i c i s m s f r o m g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s and staff ( F u e l Technology, O r g a n i c C h e m i s t r y ) attending s e p a r a t e s e m i n a r s given on t h e m a t e r i a l contained i n t h i s p a p e r . M i s s E l e a n o r H. Stoddard ( B u s i n e s s Division, ACS) w a s kind enough to c h e c k t h e a c c u r a c y of t h o s e s t a t e m e n t s p e r t a i n i n g t o C h e m i c a l T i t l e s . M r . R o b e r t F r e e m a n , E d i t o r of Chemical Titles, offered s e v e r a l constructive comments.
REFERENCES (1) L. P. Hammett, %mica1
Engineering News, April 10, 1961,
pp. 94-97.
( 2 ) L. P. Hammett, Chemical and Engineering News, No. 15. Vol. 39, page 94.
TRANSLITERATION O F RUSSIAN T h e adoption of a s i n g l e , u n i f o r m t r a n s l i t e r ation s y s t e m f o r t r a n s l a t i o n of R u s s i a n ( C y r i l l i c ) c h a r a c t e r s into t h e L a t i n alphabet w a s r e c o m m e n d e d a t a r e c e n t m e e t i n g i n Washington, D. C . , c a l l e d by t h e A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e Adv a n c e m e n t of S c i e n c e a t t h e r e q u e s t of t h e Nat i o n a l S c i e n c e Foundation. A c o m p r o m i s e
s y s t e m known as t h e "AAAS t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n s y s t e m " c o m b i n e s f e a t u r e s of v a r i o u s s y s t e m s now i n u s e s o t h a t c h a r a c t e r t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n m a y be s t a n d a r d i z e d . An i m p o r t a n t a s p e c t of t h e s y s t e m i s t h a t i t m a y be t y p e w r i t t e n with t h e m i n i m u m u s e of d i a c r i t i c a l m a r k s .
