GEOSCIENCEWORLD: A MULTI-SOCIETY AGGREGATION OF GEOSCIENCE ELECTRONIC JOURNALS

GeoScienceWorld is a multi-society aggregation of geoscience electronic journals currently under development by seven societies: AAPG, AGI, GSA, GSL, MSA, SEG, SEPM. The purpose is to continue the collective mission of disseminating scientific research and information as well as to preserve past scientific literature. The aggregation will consist of peer-reviewed, high quality, regularly appearing, internationally based, earth and space science journals that are published by non-profit professional societies and university presses. Initially GeoScienceWorld will focus on journals published in English, but will later incorporate other languages for worldwide coverage. The goal is to have the aggregation ready to launch during 2004.

The initial launch will feature a Millennium Collection, which will consist of a full-text, online-accessible aggregation of geoscience journals issued from January 2000 forward. Features will include searching of full-text and figure captions for all journals in the aggregation, and of all geoscience literature through GeoRef, with linking between reference and cited articles through CrossRef. Other expected features include HTML and PDF (searchable) full text, searches using a controlled vocabulary, the ability to limit searches to subsets, clear identification of journals and societies, public access to all abstracts, and links to enhanced data sets. The intent is to develop a literature access service that links the Millennium Collection to searchable electronic back issues (pre-2000) of as many society journals as possible. Although the initial focus is on journals, the goal is to include or be linked to non-journal material such as digital datasets, books, maps, and other geoscience literature in the future

An electronic journal aggregation should result in a greater integration and exposure of earth science disciplines and an increase in the value and accessibility of scientific society journals to the greater geoscience community, including developing countries. GeoScienceWorld may have the most powerful impact on geosciences in many decades.