So Many Articles, So Little Time:
Web Site Feature Brings Rich Content of JSSC to Readers

"So Many Articles, So Little Time" affords busy engineers new ways to use the Journal of Solid State Circuits. Engineers and other researchers can now filter the Journal in four distinct ways using the site: JSSC Bests, JSSC Classics, JSSC Tutorials, and JSSC Zeitgeist. A link to IEEE Xplore® launches a new window, members authenticate, and the full text article is presented. From tutorials to cutting-edge conference papers, this gateway service saves time and provides value-added content that goes beyond the original print.
SSCS Executive Director Anne O'Neill describes the genesis of this feature as an evolution, not a revolution. "Putting the series together was a natural progression-which we hope will save members and others time and research and serve as a useful bookmark or favorite for their surfing." Then she laughed. "In part, it was a backhanded compliment that drove us. When we introduced JSSC Classics online, a member called us a tease, as we only had a few up. His complaints were an inspiration."

JSSC Bests
The first online feature was "The Year's Best," through which the full text of selected articles was made available. "What better way to demonstrate the value of the Journal to potential subscribers than to show them our best?" asks O'Neill. "The Bests" are chosen annually by a panel of editors on the basis of outstanding achievement, significance, clarity of presentation, and timeliness. Eight articles are currently online in this category.

JSSC Classics
Using the annual Institute for Scientific Information Journal Citation Study and working with IEEE Corporate Librarian Mary Jane Miller, the Society identified articles critical to the engineering community. "The Classics" series was developed to bring these highly cited articles forward.
"Moving it to the Web was a natural," says O'Neill. "As we went online with legacy content through IEEE Xplore we saw a real opportunity to use our Web site to highlight these papers."
"So Many Articles" is more than a filter. The JSSC Classics are fundamentals that introduced history-making ICs. The original authors provide additional perspective on these seminal articles, making this feature a model of expanded online content, a great benefit to members and other scholars. Truly indispensable, and now easily identified through the site, JSSC Classics are already a favorite bookmark for SSCS members.
With Bests and Classics in place, a consolidated approach to present content from the life of the Journal was coming together. O'Neill led the charge, one section at a time. "Not because I saw the destination," she says. "I just got on the path."

JSSC Tutorials
"Tutorials started as a result of a member survey," O'Neill recalls. "While Society members registered high satisfaction levels overall (more than 90%), we found that the higher the education level, the higher their satisfaction with the Society."
The AdCom felt that improving Society services in the area of continuing education was an opportunity. But was there tutorial content in the JSSC archive? Using INSPEC classifications, IEEE Manager of Indexing and Database Production Adam Philippidis identified 23 tutorial articles-dating from 1986. O'Neill chose to include abstracts with the tutorial listing on the SSCS site. She felt that people may be looking to fill educational gaps, and the abstract is particularly useful in determining the applicability of the tutorials.
The growing JSSC feature set was nearly complete.

JSSC Zeitgeist
The Society was delighted to discover that JSSC is the most popularly downloaded journal in IEEE. In fact, reports show that nearly 20% of the articles downloaded via IEEE Xplore are from the JSSC.
This was a clear indication of more valuable JSSC content. Thus was born the JSSC Zeitgeist-a dynamic and growing collection reflective of the research activity of tens of thousands of IEEE Xplore users. The posted list is constrained to about two to five of the most popular articles per issue. "Articles just a couple of months old can grow rapidly in popularity as readers exchange recommendations. The selected list features both those June articles with three or four times more downloads than a more recent article, as well as the top fresh December articles," said O'Neill explaining the selection process. Once again, data drove development, and the final feature of the JSSC "So Many Articles, So Little Time" site was put into place in late 2002.

Looking Ahead
The top downloaded articles from each issue will be added to the Zeitgeist within several weeks of publication. Other features will be updated annually, providing excellent content to return to again and again.
"While every IEEE member can see abstracts of all content in IEEE Xplore, I see this pre-selection feature as an efficiency activity," says O'Neill. "SSCS is always interested in efficient use of the engineer's time. Visiting these areas is a great way to catch up."
Visit "So Many Articles, So Little Time" at http://sscs.org/jssc.htm. All of the content identified through the Bests, Classics, Tutorials, and Zeitgeist links is accessible at no charge to members of the Solid-State Circuits Society.
JSSC Editor Bernhard Boser at <boser@eecs.berkeley.edu> and SSCS Executive Director Anne O'Neill at <a.oneill @ieee.org> would appreciate feedback about the existing features and encourage suggestions for other services.