Primary Data for Chemistry Available for the First Time

Stuttgart/Hannover - In collaboration with the German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB) Thieme is the first publisher to make primary chemistry data accessible worldwide. Analytical data, from various experiments, is the foundation of research work and scientific papers. From now on, primary data will be registered and made available online via the Thieme eJournals website (www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals) using digital object recognition in the form of Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). This will enable scientists to easily locate research articles, including accompanying data, and make enhanced use of the scientific content.

Primary data is scientific data gathered from experimental measurements and predominately available in electronic formats. In the field of chemistry, such data is accumulated by a variety of analytical, spectroscopic or computer simulation methods. Thus far, the vast amount of data lies scattered on the computers of scientists, who have produced the information. As no central repository exists, no archival storage is possible at the moment. Scientific results are solely published in journals – but not the primary data from which those results originate. Due to the missing credit that working up such data currently receives, primary data is often poorly documented, difficult to access and not saved for the long term.

Dr. Susanne Haak, Managing Editor and responsible for the chemistry journals at Thieme explains, “Access to primary data is a fundamental condition for research work, particularly in the natural sciences.” Therefore, Thieme and experts from TIB have developed a uniform structure for publishing primary data. Through structuring and central data registration, a Germany-wide unique service of TIB, valuable knowledge will be harnessed.

The publication of primary data will be implemented into the existing system of publications as well as their citations. Scientists, who collect their own primary data or use those of others for their own ongoing work, benefit. “The data will be permanently saved and, by assigning them a DOI, made accessible and searchable, as well as citable and linkable,” states Dr. Jan Brase from the TIB Registration Agency. An additional positive effect is that authors receive recognition for their research work.

Primary Date Sample

K. Jarowicki, C. Kilner, P. J. Kocienski*, Z. Komsta, J. E. Milne, A. Wojtasiewicz, V. Coombs Synthesis 2008, 2747-2763: http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1067226

About TIB

As the German central special library for technology as well as architecture, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics TIB has been effective in its function as an innovative and professional information supplier for over a decade. Based on its excellent inventory, today TIB is one of the world’s largest specialized libraries and most productive document supplier in its specialized areas. As part of the national research infrastructure TIB realizes projects for the benefit of science and business. The organization is a pioneer particularly in the areas of full text supply and information management.

About Thieme

Thieme Publishing Group is a privately held STM publishing house employing more than 950 people and maintaining offices in seven cities, including New York, Delhi, Stuttgart and three other locations in Germany. Founded in 1886, the Thieme name has become synonymous with high quality and excellence in medical and scientific publishing. Today, Thieme is the market leading publisher of neurosurgical content and holds strong market positions in orthopedics, radiology, anatomy and chemistry, among other specialties. Thieme publishes 137 peer-reviewed journals and over 500 new books annually. The company also has a rapidly growing array of web-based products in medicine and science. Popular online products include Thieme eJournals and the Thieme ElectronicBook Library, which are accessible via www.thieme-connect.com, Thieme’s platform for electronic products.

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