Science (journal)

Science (journal)
Title	Science
Discipline	Multidisciplinary
Abbreviation	Science
Publisher	American Association for the Advancement of Science
Country	United States
Frequency	Weekly
History	1880–present
Impact	63.714 (2024)

Contents

Science (journal) is a weekly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Founded in 1880, it has published original research, reviews, news, and commentary across multiple natural and social sciences and has influenced scientific communication alongside publications such as Nature (journal), Cell (journal), and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The journal has been associated with major scientific milestones, professional organizations, and international policy discussions involving actors like the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences (United States), World Health Organization, and United Nations.

History

Science was established by journalist and scientist John Michels and chemist Thomas Edison-era contemporaries, with early stewardship by figures connected to the Smithsonian Institution and the American Chemical Society. Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries the journal intersected with institutions such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie Institution for Science, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and the University of Chicago. Editors and contributors included leading personalities linked to events like the Manhattan Project, the Space Race, and the development of DNA research at institutions such as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Caltech. During wartime and the Cold War the periodical engaged with figures associated with the Office of Scientific Research and Development and policy debates connected to the Truman administration and later the Nixon administration. The journal expanded through the late 20th century under editorial leadership connected to networks spanning MIT, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Science covers empirical and theoretical work across disciplines tied to institutions like Max Planck Society, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Salk Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and NASA. Article types include original research articles, perspectives, reviews, policy forums, and letters with contributions from researchers affiliated with University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Australian National University. The journal regularly publishes papers relevant to landmark projects such as the Human Genome Project, research programs linked to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, climate efforts connected to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and public-health work associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The editorial office coordinates editors and staff drawn from networks that include the AAAS, major universities, and research institutes such as Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry and Institut Pasteur. The editorial hierarchy involves an Editor-in-Chief, senior editors, and section editors with ties to National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and academic faculties across Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley. Manuscripts undergo external peer review by researchers often affiliated with organizations like Institute for Advanced Study, Scripps Research, ETH Zurich, Karolinska Institutet, and McGill University. The journal employs editorial policies reflecting standards advocated by bodies such as the Committee on Publication Ethics and engages with open-data practices promoted by groups like Center for Open Science.

Published weekly, the journal offers subscription and institutional access with digital distribution coordinated with publishers and aggregators serving libraries at New York Public Library, British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and university consortia. Policies around embargoes, public access, and licensing have been influenced by funders such as the National Science Foundation, Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The journal participates in initiatives around open access, data sharing, and supplementary materials interoperable with infrastructures like Dryad, Figshare, and the Protein Data Bank. Copyright and reuse practices reflect negotiations involving scholarly societies and legal frameworks linked to courts and legislative developments in the United States Congress and the European Commission.

Science is regarded alongside Nature (journal) and Lancet as among the most influential science journals, with citation impact reflected in bibliometric analyses by organizations such as Clarivate and Scopus (Elsevier). The journal’s publications have been cited in policy reports by bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Health Organization, and national advisory panels convened by the White House. Its prominence has drawn attention from media outlets including The New York Times, BBC News, The Guardian, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel, and it is frequently referenced in award citations for laureates of the Nobel Prize, Lasker Award, National Medal of Science, and Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalists.

Notable papers published in the journal include landmark studies tied to the Human Genome Project, foundational work connected to plate tectonics debates, and influential reports affecting public health policy during outbreaks involving HIV/AIDS, SARS, and COVID-19 with links to laboratories such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wuhan Institute of Virology. The journal has faced controversies over peer review and editorial decisions involving prominent scientists affiliated with Harvard University, Stanford University, Princeton University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as disputes over high-profile retractions and responses to replication crises highlighted by commentators from Retraction Watch and panels convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Debates over access, fee structures, and conflict-of-interest disclosures have involved funders and institutions including the Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, European Commission, and national research councils.

Category:Academic journals