Re: Elsevier's ChemWeb Preprint Archive

From: Jim Till <till_at_UHNRES.UTORONTO.CA>
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 14:09:30 -0400

A comment in response to previous messages from James Weeks:

In a message that I posted to this forum on 24 May 2001, on the subject
"Re: ClinMed NetPrints", I tried to outline three criteria (or, 'design &
usability guidelines'?) for an eprint archive:

1) an 'inter-operability' criterion;
2) an 'impact-ranking' criterion;
3) a 'sign-posting' criterion.

James, in the message that you posted to this forum on August 17, you
indicated that there are plans for the Chemistry Preprint Server (CPS) to
be OAI-compliant with the next two months. If that goal is accomplished,
the first ('inter-operability') criterion will (I assume) have been met.

Perhaps one way to begin the meet the second ('impact-ranking') criterion
is to provide the kind of "views" and "ranking" indicators that are
commented upon in the message that you posted on August 23.

Better, though, might be the suitability of the eprint server for yielding
citation data? As Tim Brody pointed out (as part of a previous thread, in
a message posted on May 24, on the subject: "Re: ClinMed NetPrints"):

[tb]> Which, from my technical point of view, is the reference lists for
[tb]> the articles. As far as I'm aware no archives currently do this (I
[tb]> know cogprints provides the facility for authors to give this
[tb]> information, but does not re-export yet). Watch developments from
[tb]> OpCit!

Re the third ('sign-posting') criterion, it's possible for the author of a
preprint posted at the CPS website to add, as part of a discussion thread,
a citation to the published version of the preprint. (There will, of
course, usually be a time delay between the posting of the preprint and
the appearance of the published version, unless the 'preprint' is, in
fact, a post-print).

The arXiv server, in contrast, provides (what seems to be) a quite
convenient means for authors to add, to their previously-posted preprint,
a citation (and a link) to the published version.

James, might you be willing to comment on these three proposed criteria
(or, guidelines) for eprint servers, and on their relevance to the CPS?

Jim Till
University of Toronto
Received on Wed Jan 03 2001 - 19:17:43 GMT