Chemical Abstracts is the most comprehensive scientific abstracting service in English. It provides a complete bibliographic reference to the original publication and a non-critical summary of its content. Over 15,000 scientific and engineering journals, patents from 26 countries, conference proceedings, reports and monographs are monitored. Over 55% of this material is in English, with the remainder in any of 66 other languages.
Some familiarity with chemistry and its terminology is necessary for the efficient use of this tool. Once the construction of the indexes is understood, there should be little difficulty in the use of CA. However, hands-on experience is the only way a full understanding can be achieved.
Abstracts are arranged in 80 sections grouped under five broad headings and are published weekly.
How to Access:
All indexes (except Index of Ring Systems) refer to abstract numbers, and abstracts are numbered consecutively within each volume or half-
year period. The collective indexes refer both to volume and abstract number. Each abstract contains bibliographic information as well as a short summary of the document.
Use CASSI to look up the full name of a journal based on its CA abbreviation.
The Index Guide should be consulted before beginning a new search in CA. It provides cross-references from chemical substance names and general subject terms used in the literature to the terminology employed by the Chemical Abstracts Service.
Indexes Related to Time Period Covered
Indexes to CA are to be found in each weekly issue. However, more efficient access can be obtained through use of the volume indexes (each volume comprising a half-year period), or the collective indexes (comprising a 10- or 5-year period).
Volume and Collective Indexes