Re: Elsevier's ChemWeb Preprint Archive

From: Victoria Uren <V.S.Uren_at_OPEN.AC.UK>
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 15:13:40 +0100

> It may be noteworthy that the largest number of preprints has been in the
> subfield of physical chemistry. Might this be another example (along with
> the arXiv server) of physics-oriented scientists choosing to be early
> adopters of preprint servers? Or, is physical chemistry simply a very
> large subfield, in comparison with other kinds of chemistry? (I'm not a
> chemist, so the answer isn't obvious to me!).
>
        [V.S.Uren] My guess as an ex-chemist would be that most of the
chemistry *research* that gets done worldwide is broadly organic chemistry
(this would subsume biochemistry, macromalecular chemistry & medicinal
chemistry which alters the balance of the stats) but that that mainly gets
done in commercial organizations such as pharmaceuticals companies who would
be unwilling to see preprints going out before they got the chance to secure
patents. Physical chemistry is interesting from a "blue skies" view point
and is therefore more favoured by academic researchers who have the
motivation to publish preprints.
Received on Wed Jan 03 2001 - 19:17:43 GMT