A literature evaluation service for the biological sciences, Faculty of 1000 Biology will be used to assess the quality of funded grants and the suitability of applicants. Heads of research at CNRS will use Faculty of 1000 Biology as part of EvalSciences, an experimental service, currently available to 60 individuals at CNRS who evaluate research within the organisation.
Faculty of 1000 is an online service that systematically highlights the most interesting papers published in the life sciences, based on the recommendations of over 1000 leading scientists. The end-product is a rapid service, run by scientists, that provides a consensus view of important papers and trends across biology. Users can customize the service to their interests and opt for regular updates by email.
Dave Weedon, Managing Director of Biology Reports Ltd is delighted by the move:
"We are delighted that the CNRS, along with a growing number of other funding agencies, recognises the value of Faculty of 1000 as a means of assessing the quality of the research it funds and assessing the suitability of applicants for grants. Using an expert panel of over 1000 top scientists to select biomedical papers for their scientific merits represents, at the very least, a useful adjunct to the old system of judging papers on the basis of the journal in which they appear."
EvalSciences (http://www.inist.fr/evalsciences/) is provided by INIST, the highly specialized documentation centre of CNRS. CNRS lab heads who have access to EvalSciences have been able to use ISI products including Web of Science since 2002 when the service was launched. In June 2003, INIST extended the service to include Faculty of 1000 Biology.
About Faculty of 1000 Biology
Faculty of 1000 Biology is the next generation literature awareness tool. It is a revolutionary new online research service that comprehensively and systematically highlights and reviews the most interesting papers published in the biological sciences, based on the recommendations of a faculty of well over 1000 selected leading researchers.
The faculty consists of over 1400 of the best scientists in their respective fields and involves both experienced and younger investigators. A full list can be found on the Faculty of 1000 Biology website http://www.facultyof1000.com/about/members. The heads of faculty are:
Fred Alt, Jon Clardy, Julian Davies, David Eisenberg, Doug Fearon, Stan Falkow, Alan Hall, Richard Harland, Phil Ingham, Gerald Joyce, Judith Kimble, John Kuriyan, Philippa Marrack, Steven McKnight, Elliot Meyerowitz, William T Newsome, Tony Pawson, Martin C Raff, Keith Roberts, Gerald M Rubin, Randy Schekman, Stuart L Schreiber, Carla J Shatz, Charles F Stevens, Shirley Tilghman
To read further press releases from Faculty of 1000 Biology visit: http://www.facultyof1000.com/about/press
Faculty of 1000 Biology is published by BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com)
INIST - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique du CNRS (http://www.inist.fr) is a leading player in the production and the dissemination of scientific and technical information (STI) in Europe, INIST has been developing advanced information access tools for several years, tailoring these to the specific requirements of scientific and academic communities. Drawing mainly on new technologies for information and communication (NTIC), INIST tests and provides new dedicated platforms for electronic publishing, current awareness services, training and scientific communication.
CNRS is the main French government-funded research organization, carrying out scientific research. CNRS laboratories vary in size and structure and work in close co-operation with the French University system and specialized French government organizations, as well as other international research organizations throughout the world.