Yearly reviews on development of science and technology in the Soviet Union

Abstract

Based on its broad abstracting activity of world literature, VINITI started some ten years ago the regular publication of yearly reviews under the titles Itori Nauki and Itogi Nauki i Tehniki. These surveys deal with science and technology respectively. At first the big science disciplines were dealt with in seperate year-books, today, honever, many special fields of science and also more important subjects are all published in seperate yearbooks, so that the number of these publications reaches now about 40 a year, with an average size of 8 to 12 author's sheet each.
These reviews deeply analyse, classify and evaluate the results achieved in the various fields of science and technology, with the aim to assist experts in getting acquainted with the main achievements, trends and the perspectives of development in the given field, both in the Soviet Union and abroad. The surveys also contain bibliographies from the most important literature in the different branches of science and technology.
The high quality of the reviews is assured by the co-opuration of outstanding representatives of the given special field; their reviewing activity is in addition controlled by two so-called opponents.
One of the main characteristics of the reviews is that they do not only give a survey of the results of the latest scientific and technical developments, but at the same time also analyse and evaluate then, and thus draw conclusions and make suggestions in regard to further trends.
The publications are of special interest to technical experts and research workers in planning and designing institutes, industrial enterprises. and to professors and students occupied in higher education.
A comparison with similar Hungarian publications rendering technical information - such as the Technical-Economic Information and others including yearly reviews - though they have certain common featuras, also reveals a considerable difference, both from the point of view of applied methods and their selected subject. As a result, it can be stated that the VINITI's reviews may be useful in complementing our national information drawn from special literature and thus may very well be used by Hungarian experts to improve their work. It would be necessary therefore that these reviews should be ordered by them in time.
The publication of such yearly reviews in Hungary to meet our national needs might be considered, provided the necessary means could be assured.