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Science is the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 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].
A major concern of the journal is recent research findings. Science is also known for science-related news, publication of opinions on science policy and other matters of interest to scientists and others who are concerned with the wide implications of science and technology. Like its competitor, Nature, Science covers the full range of scientific disciplines, but there is 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.
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 resurected 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.
Archive 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). Prior to mid-1996, articles are available via JSTOR.
See also
External links
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