IS THE CURRENT SYSTEM OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION ADEQUATE TO THE AGE OF PLASMID ENGINEERING?

In order to deal with both the general problem of scientific information, as well as the specific problem of information on Recombinant DNA, we have divided our paper into two parts. The first part will deal with the problem of information retrieval and the second will outline some of the special sources on plasmids not published in available journals. In order for scientists to function effectively today, they must have the asstirance that they are aware of all research which may have some bearing on their activities. Whether the topic is antibiotic resistance in bacteria, cloning of unnatural molecules, recombinant DNA or any other aspect of science, we must insure that maximum advantage is taken of the new methods that have been developed in the past decade for general and selective dissemination of information. Undoubtedly, the import of this assertion is of greatest significance to our scientific colleagues throughout the underdeveloped world. For a variety of reasons, many of them may not have been exposed to many of these more modern methods. The reasons why scientists in many countries have not had the benefits of these new services are fundamentally economic and political. Scientific information disseminatio