About the CIS Wiki

From ChemicalInformationSources

The Chemical Information Sources Wiki is meant to be a guide to the many sources of reference materials available to those with questions related to chemistry.

Each year between 1976 and 2004, I taught a one-semester-hour undergraduate course in the Indiana University Department of Chemistry entitled "Chemical Information Sources and Services." Around 1995, I began to put on the web the lecture notes, handouts, and other materials for the C471 course. Since I will retire by October 1, 2007, I decided to place the notes into the Wiki format in the hope that others would use, help maintain, and update the resource. In July 2007, due to a spam attack, it became necessary to limit access to the CIS wiki. If you have a legitimate desire to contribute to its contents, please request an account from the sysop, Dr. David J. Wild, by e-mailing him at djwild @ indiana.edu

The lecture notes were adapted from a textbook authored by me, Chemical Information Sources (McGraw-Hill, 1991). When that book went out of print, the copyright was re-assigned by McGraw-Hill to me. Although the CIS Wiki might be viewed as a "derivative work," it is not to be considered copyrighted. It is intended to be an open source work, to which anyone with the knowledge and desire to improve it can contribute.

There are several related tools that at this point are available:

• CRSD (Chemical Reference Sources Database) is a searchable database of books, databases, and other reference materials that might be found in or accessible through a chemistry or science library. Author/Editor, Title, or Keyword searches are possible.

• SIRCh (Selected Internet Resources for Chemistry) is another wiki that links to factual sources on the Internet where answers can be found to chemical questions. At the end of most CIS chapters there will be a link to a relevant SIRCh page.

• CCIIM Wiki (Clearinghouse for Chemical Information Instructional Materials) links to additional materials that are designed to instruct people in the use of chemical reference tools.

• CICOURSE listserv is a place where teachers of chemical information courses or workshops can exchange ideas and pose questions.

Note to future contributors:

Some conventions have been followed in punctuating this wiki.

• When a paper product is discussed, put the title in italics, e.g., Chemical Abstracts. If it is a database, do not italicze the title, e.g., SPRESI.
• The first time a new term is encountered, it is entered in bold, capital letters, e.g., ABSTRACTS and defined.

I suggest that you consult the Wiki editing conventions found on the Wikipedia site at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial

I would like to express my thanks to my graduate student worker, Yan He, without whose assistance this project would not have been undertaken.

Gary Wiggins
School of Informatics
Indiana University
12 September 2006 Updated: 11 July 2007