Neuroscience-Net

Edited by:
  • John E. Johnson
Scientific Design and Information. Online only, free. http://www.neuroscience.com

Delightful as books and journals are, Internet-based publishing provides new capabilities for conveying scientific information, including rapid publication, search and link functions, running commentary on previously published articles, and vivid graphics. Theoretical scientists can set up web-based demos that allow interactive exploration by the reader, while scientists concerned with structure or dynamic processes can publish eye-catching movies. And for those of us who equate photocopying an article with reading it, web browsers offer the technological improvement of bookmarking.

Neuroscience-Net has made the brave step into electronic-only publishing with a journal for the neuroscience community. The journal subscription is free and is available to anyone with a computer and web access. It covers an admirably broad range of topics, divided by sections that include anatomy, pharmacology, molecular biology, physiology, psychiatry and psychology, and theoretical neuroscience.

Its editorial process is streamlined by FTP manuscript submission and e-mail peer review. Neuroscience-Net guarantees publication within two weeks of acceptance, a remarkable turnaround by any standard. A check of the date of acceptance on several articles confirms rapid publication. I found the associated graphics informative and clear, but the hardware and choice of web browser of individual readers will determine the final graphical quality. Unfortunately, Neuroscience-Net lacks linkage with other websites. Referenced papers are not linked to other journals, and other sections have unrealized potential for valuable links — the Materials and Methods articles, for example, could have links to reagent suppliers and instrument manufacturers (such links could provide potential revenue for an electronic journal as well). The articles are of high quality, but the most recently published at the time of writing was August 25, 1997.

Neuroscience-Net provides a forum for rapid publication of neuroscience articles, but it does not yet take full advantage of the capabilities of Internet-based publishing. This journal merits reading by neuroscientists of all stripes.