5. Dissemination

Publication of the findings of a Task Group is not a sufficient mode of dissemination. The difference between publication and dissemination is the difference between a product and publicity about a product. The purpose of a dissemination plan is to ensure that the results of the project, the publication, are made known to the relevant community of chemists and that these results are used by that community. Every possible effort should be made to encourage journal editors to adopt IUPAC recommendations. Many are reluctant to impose regulations on authors, but they are often willing to: publish recommendations in the journal, put the recommendations on the journal web site, or establish a link between the journal and IUPAC web site where recommendations are freely available.

It is recommended that from the outset Task Group Chairs give careful consideration to determine the audience towards which their work is directed and optimum methods through which their results and reports will be disseminated.

Although primary publication in Pure and Applied Chemistry is the norm, the projects outcomes should, where feasible, be published, in addition to PAC, in one of the leading journals in the relevant field so that it reaches the scientific community on which it is intended to impact.

Task Group Chair should produce, in addition to the formal project report, an abstract for posting on the IUPAC website and a short article suitable for publication in newsmagazines and list servers. Both of these should give the principal results and provide a reference to the primary publications.

Where it will be of assistance to the rapid introduction and use of the recommendations emerging from a project, the report should also be available for dissemination in electronic form such as CD.

The Secretariat will establish, maintain, and make available to Task Group Chairs a list of contacts in IUPAC National Adhering Organizations (NAOs) and National Chemical Societies to whom promotional material can be sent for further dissemination or publications in national chemical journals.

The Secretariat will establish and, where appropriate, make available to Task Group Chairs a mechanism through which press releases may be issued to the science editors of major newspapers and scientific publications throughout the world.