| Posted: June 17, 2009 |
ICON's nanotechnology journal introduces interactive ratings feature |
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(Nanowerk News) The Rice University-based International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) has introduced an interactive feature to its Virtual Journal of Nanotechnology Environment, Health and Safety (VJ-NanoEHS) that allows users to post ratings and comments about technical papers archived at the site.
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The five-star rating system, which was developed with extensive input from interested stakeholders, provides registered users an opportunity to acknowledge the publications that best exemplify good research practice and effective communication.
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A survey of potential contributors found that as the pace of nano-EHS publication rapidly increases, some VJ followers believe a rating system would help the highest-quality work to be identified. That will allow such work to serve as a model to others moving into the field and to better inform the public dialogue over nanotechnology’s risks and benefits.
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When viewing the abstract of a paper archived in the VJ-NanoEHS, users now have an option to mark the paper with a rating from one to five stars as well as post a comment explaining their rating. Among the factors to consider when rating a paper are considerations of materials characterization, dose metrics and clarity of explanation.
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With the introduction of this new feature, ICON continues to extend the utility of its comprehensive database on nano-safety. Other features include a customized search function and an analysis tool that allows users to track research trends over time.
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The ICON Virtual Journal is freely available at http://icon.rice.edu/virtualjournal.cfm.
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