WATER POLLUTION CONTROL RESEARCH SERIES • 16090 DQZ 06/71
Research Supplement to
Journal
Water Pollution Control Federation
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
RESEARCH AND MONITORIN
G
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WATER POLLUTION CONTROL RESEARCH SERIES
The Water Pollution Control Research Series describes
the results and progress in the control and abatement
of pollution in our Nation's waters. They provide a
central source of information on the research, develop-
ment, and demonstration activities in the Environmental
Protection Agency, through inhouse research and grants
and contracts with Federal, State, and local agencies,
research institutions, and industrial organizations.
Inquiries pertaining to Water Pollution Control Research
Reports should be directed to the Head, Project Reports
System, Office of Research and Monitoring, Environmental
Protection Agency, Room 801, Washington, B.C. 20^60.
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RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT TO
JOURNAL
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL FEDERATION
Water Pollution Control Federation
3900 Wisconsin Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20016
for the
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Project # 16090 DQZ
June 1971
For sale, by tee Superintendent, of Documents, "CT.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 45 cents
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EPA Review Notice
This report has been reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency
and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the
contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental
Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products
constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
11
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ABSTRACT
Publication of a quarterly research supplement to Journal Water Pollution
Control Federation with federal grant support was carried out from October
1967 to August 1970. This was an experimental effort to determine the
feasibility of such a publication in developing its own self-sustaining
support as an effective and economical means of disseminating research
information to the water pollution control field. The 12 issues published
in the three-year grant period proved to be an effective means of such
dissemination and demonstrated an excellent method of creating a permanent,
retrievable source of pertinent information. The project was not success-
ful economically in that advertising and other revenues did not reach
anticipated goals. In the absence of self-sustaining income and the
availability of continued federal support, the project was terminated in
August 1970 at the end of the grant period. Each of the twelve (12)
issues published contains eight to ten authored research papers on a
variety of subjects and each is abstracted in English, French, German,
Portuguese, and Spanish. All papers are indexed in the annual index of
the Journal.
This report was submitted in fulfillment of Project Number 16090 DQJ2
under the partial sponsorship of the Environmental Protection Agency.
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CONTENTS
Section
Page
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
Conclusions
Recommendations
Introduction
Specific Aims
Methods of Procedure
Operational Phase
Discussion
Advertising
Acceptance and Interest
Value as a Permanent Reference
Self Support
Budget
Acknowledgments
List of Publications
Appendix
5
5
9
11
13
13
15
20
22
24
29
31
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TABLES
No.
1 Publication of Research Material in Journal Water Pollu- 6
tion Control Federation
2 Advertising in Research Supplement to Journal Water Pollu- 14
tion Control Federation
3 Numerical Tabulation of 1,989 Questionnaire Replies on Reader 16
Survey, Journal Water Pollution Control Federation. Research
Supplement
4 Summary of Journal Water Pollution Control Federation Circu- 18
lation as of December 31, 1969
5 Selected Respondent Job Categories and Their Replies to 21
Question No. 8
6 Project Budget Summary 25
VI
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SECTION I
CONCLUSIONS
1. The publication of a quarterly research supplement to Journal Water
Pollution Control Federation from October 1967 to August 1970 proved to
be an effective way to disseminate current research information to the
water pollution control field.
2. The supplement, through use of information retrieval and indexing
procedures already followed by Federation publications, provided an
effective and permanent documented reference for the material published.
3. The project demonstrated a logical and cooperative way for the
federal government and the primary professional society serving the
water pollution control field to serve the interests of the field.
4. The supplement did not generate self-sustaining support to the degree
anticipated for the project.
5. Exploration of various sources of income to sustain the supplement —
advertising, increased membership dues, page charges, reprint sales,
separate subscriptions — was made and none was found to be adequate
and/or feasible.
6. Publication of serially numbered federal research reports is not
viewed as gaining the distribution and information retrieval benefits
inherent with publishing a supplement to a recognized, widely circulated,
existing periodical.
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SECTION II
RECOMMENDATIONS
This project has demonstrated a cooperative means by which the federal
government and a private organization can serve a technical field. It
provides an example of effective dissemination of research material and
the creation of a permanent, retrievable reference source. It is rec-
ommended that this consideration be carefully made in future related
endeavors and in the setting of policy relative to the best means of
transferring technology resulting from federally funded research efforts.
The studies made in connection with the project and concerning the develop-
ment of supporting funds appear to show clearly that in today's economy
such support is not available in sufficient amounts to fund a publication
of the type published. A willingness and available funds to provide
continued support for this type publication is recommended.
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SECTION III
INTRODUCTION
Beginning in the years immediately preceding 1966 a sharp increase was
evident in the amount of research work conducted and reported in the
water pollution control field. A primary reason for this was the ex-
panding research and development support available from the U.S. Public
Health Service, Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control; the
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration; and subsequently the
Federal Water Quality Administration, and the Water Quality Office of
the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Water Pollution Control Federation, a non-profit, professional,
technical society serving this field has been keenly aware of this
trend and the necessity to serve as an important disseminating agency
for the results of this research work. The principal means of doing
this has been through the publication of its Journal Water Pollution
Control Federation. The Journal was reaching some 15,000 people monthly
in the water pollution control field at the beginning in 1967 of the
research project reported here and was reaching over 20,000 people
monthly at the termination of the three-year project period in August
1970. This circulation constitutes the largest audience in the field
served by any periodical publication.
The Journal also serves the broadest cross section of interest in the
field and traditionally has brought the results of research work to
other researchers and all segments of the field which can be stimulated
by this research toward its practical application.
Because of the expanding and continuing increase in research needs and
work produced, the amount of attention and space devoted to research in
the Journal prior to 1967 was inadequate to meet the demand despite a
solid trend (Table 1) of more pages devoted annually to research. A
search for other means of providing increased publication capacity for
research work was sought. An examination of the alternate means of
accomplishing this objective resulted in the selection of a periodical
research supplement to the Journal. By this means the results of critical
research efforts could be made available on a more current basis to the
maximum number of individuals and organizations in the water pollution
control field.
Specific Aims
The Journal Water Pollution Control Federation has recognized the research
needs since its inception in 1928 and has devoted the maximum possible
effort to publication of selected research work since that time. With
its 1970 paid circulation of more than 20,000 and the broad spectrum of
readers represented, the Journal has a continuing obligation to present
the most representative of the research effort.
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Table 1. - Publication of Research Material
in Journal Water Pollution Control Federation
Year
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967 (1)
1968 (2)
1969 (2)
1970 (3)
Total Technical Editorial
Pages
1,267
1,170
1,196
1,406
1,478
1,647
1,585
1,794
2,204
2,304
2,475
Total Research
Pages
470
481
637
755
701
1,038
832
1,069
1,261
1,304
1,137
% Research
37
41
53
54
48
63
53
60
58
57
46
(1) One (1) research supplement published.
(2) Quarterly research supplements published.
(3) Three (3) research supplements published.
Source: Data prepared for the Association of Industrial Advertisers.
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Table 1 shows the trend of research material in the Journal since I960.
For the five years prior to I960 the research effort as indicated by the
supply of research material -was relatively steady at 500 to 550 pages per
year and about 40 percent of total editorial space. When the federal
research grants program began to take effect,, though,, the amount of
research work available for publication rose sharply.
In I960 it was recognized that there was a need to expand the research
portion of the Journal. During the intervening period the number of pages
has more than doubled and its share of the total was increased by 25 per-
cent. Despite these deliberate efforts it was felt that more space needed
to be assigned to research papers. Research has increased faster than
the capacity of the Journal has been able to maintain. Because of this
and because of anticipated increases, it appeared that a way must be
found to meet this challenge. It further appeared that the most practical
way to do this was by the initiation of a research supplement to the
Journal beginning in 1967. In the initial planning this was visualized
to be a quarterly supplement and it further was expected that there would
be approximately 500 to 600 pages of research material published in these
supplements during a year.
Strong evidence of the availability of research material was shown by the
fact that since I960 the Journal had had an increasing backlog of research
papers. One of the Federation's principal objectives is for the Journal
to continue as the leading forum for the publication of research material
for the water pollution control field. It was a conservative estimate of
the backlog of high-quality research material that led to the projection
of 500 to 600 pages per year as a realistically sized research supplement.
The specific aims of the project included the fact that there is high
quality research material available for publication which needs to be
offered but could not be under existing organization limitations. As a
result, inordinate delays occur and these delays compound themselves
because of the expanding research activity. By offering a research
supplement it was considered possible to expand the availability of
research workers' results to the entire circulation of the Journal. By
this means it would better serve those working on related and other pro-
jects and expand the availability of research results to the largest
group of individuals and organizations who can utilize the results toward
the practical job of water pollution control.
The long-term objective was to make the increased effort self-supporting.
The first year of the three-year project period was a trial to assess
(a) potential for advertising support for or due to the added publication,
(b) the acceptance and relative degree of interest for individuals and
organizations, and (c) the value of a research supplement as a permanent
reference. For these reasons the necessary degree of financial grant
support was set at 90 percent, 60 percent, and 25 percent, respectively.
Sources of self support were investigated from among areas of or a
combination of (a) increased dues to members; (b) increased subscription
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prices; (c) special assessment from individuals, organizations, or
enterprises particularly interested in research; (d) advertising revenue;
(e) revenue from reprints; and (f) page charges to authors.
The publication of the research supplement in no way affected the format
or content of the Journal itself. The Journal continued to- offer a
balance of material of interest to the entire water pollution field and
included expanding coverage of research. There was a selee-tive- place-
ment of research papers in the research supplement based on type of
research project, depth of study, subject matter, etc. All 12 quarterly
issues contained unrelated studies about different processes or funda-
mentals with a deliberate attempt to present a wide range of subjects.
These selections determined the makeup of the Journal and the research
supplement. Material in the supplement, however, was con-fined solely
to those papers which were unmistakably research reports.
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SECTION IV
METHODS OF PROCEDURE
The selection of material, preparation for publication, publishing, and
distribution were accomplished in the same manner employed for the pro-
duction of the Journal.
Some 35 to 50 percent of the papers received for Journal consideration
may be classified as research reports. Three principal sources constitute
this supply of material; direct submissions, papers from the Federation's
Annual Conference, and papers from the meetings of the organization's 58
affiliated Member Associations in the U.S. and abroad.
All papers are technically and critically reviewed by competent pro-
fessionals in the field either on the Federation's full-time staff or
by selected professionals considered particularly expert in a given
subject area.
Papers selected for and published in the research supplement were confined
to those reporting on basic, applied, and developmental research work.
No consideration was made as to whether or not research work reported in
a selected paper was supported by federal grant funds, but a conservative
estimate is that 60 to 75 percent of the published work received at least
partial federal support.
The publication procedures for the supplement followed those already
employed for the Journal. Many reprints of papers were distributed by
author purchase, on direct inquiries about a specific subject, and
through Federation displays at a variety of technical meetings in the
U.S. and abroad.
All published material was copyrighted as a part of the Journal and is
subject to the controls of the copyright laws. As a Federation publi-
cation, the research supplement conformed to the standards outlined for
the Journal by the Federation's Publications Committee and the governing
Board of Control.
The 12 issues of the research supplement were published as Part 2 of and
mailed with the Journal in October 1967; February, May, August, and
November of 1968 and 1969; and February, May, and August of 1970. This
was done to (a) use the Journal copyright, (b) provide for informational
retrieval and permanent reference indexes with the Journal, and (c) take
advantage of the Journal's second class mailing permit. Each supplement
consisted of a 160-page number divided roughly into 32 pages in the
advertising section and 128 pages of technical editorial material.
Advertising promotions were made regularly. Contents other than authored
papers consisted of English abstracts and keywords designed to be com-
patible with the Engineers' Joint Council information retrieval system;
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abstracts in French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish for the use of
readers abroad; research news and notes; and occasional editorial comment
by the Editor.
The supplement was mailed in the same envelope with the Journal and
addressed to all Federation members and subscribers.
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SECTION V
OPERATIONAL PHASE
Comments concerning the operational phase of this grant-funded project
largely are given in Section IV, Methods of Procedure.
The publication of a supplement to an existing, recognized periodical can
be accomplished easily using regular operating procedures supplemented
only by the additional staff required to accomplish the added work in
conformity with the established production schedule.
In terms of the Federation's staff organization, it was estimated that
two professional, assistant editors and two supporting editorial assistants
would be required to complement the staff on hand at the beginning of the
project. Only one-half of the additional staff was employed full time and
use was made of part-time editorial assistance from a former editorial
staff member.
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SECTION VI
DISCUSSION
Discussion and analysis of the research project are divided into the areas
cited in Section I, Introduction, Specific Aims: (a) potential for advertis-
ing support, (b) acceptance and degree of interest of individuals and
organizations, (c) value of the research supplement as a permanent refer-
ence, and (d) investigation of self-support of the publication.
The comments offered are-"based on experiences in the conduct of the pro-
ject, an assessment of the three-year project at its mid-point, and a
survey of the Federation's members and subscribers after 10 of the 12
issues of the supplement had been published.
Advertising
The application for a research grant to fund partially the publication
of a quarterly research supplement to Journal Water Pollution Control
Federation was based on decreasing federal support over a three-year
period with the goal of increasing self-support funded to a significant
extent by advertising revenues from display advertisements by equipment
and process manufacturers and professional cards taken by consulting
engineering firms and laboratories.
It was assumed that no advertising income would be realized in the first
year during which a detailed assessment would be made of the potential.
It was found that to assess this source of income it was necessary to
launch immediately a promotional effort to (a) inform the field and
potential advertisers of the publication of the supplement and its
possibilities as an advertising medium, and (b) to promote the purchase
of advertising space in the supplement.
The estimated advertising income for the three-year grant period was
$28,500, divided into $9,500 for the second year and $19,000 for the
third year. Based on 12 issues of the supplement, the average income
per issue was budgeted at $2,375 per issue. Actual experience for the
12 issues resulted in an average income per issue of about $1,680. Table
2 shows details of the advertising placement and income for the life of
the project.
Small response was obtained from manufacturers and suppliers who were
promoted for the placement of display advertisements ranging from one-
quarter to full-page presentations. The response from consulting engineers
and laboratories was much better and considered to be as well as might be
reasonably expected; these "cards" are one-twelfth page in size. Table
2 indicates that income from professional cards was slightly higher than
that from display advertising.
Efforts were made to determine the failure on the part of advertisers
considered prime prospects to place advertisements in the supplement.
Responses were not totally definitive, but reasons cited included (a)
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Table 2. - Advertising in Research Supplement
to Journal Water Pollution Control Federation
Year and
Issue
1967
October
1968
February
May
August
November
1969
February
May
August
November
1970
February
May
August
TOTALS
Paid
Pages
16.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
9.0
7.0
10.0
9.0
11.5
11.5
10.5
114.5
Display Ad
Income,, Gross
$2,845.00
345.00
620.00
975.00
1,185.00
1,035.00
400.00
1,265.00
690.00
690.00
690.00
-0-
$10,740.00
Professional Care
Ad Income, Net
$ 649.00
717.00
728. 20
739.40
739.40
817.60
817.60
862.00
907.00
1,266.00
1,388.80
1,411.20
$11,043.20
Total
Gross
$ 3,494.00
1,062.00
1,348.20
1,714.40
1,924.40
1,852.60
1,217.60
2,127.00
1,597.00
1,956.00
2,078.80
1,411.20
$21,783.20
Total Net
Income *
$ 3,067.25
1,010.25
1,255.20
1,568.15
1,746.65
1,697.35
1,157.60
1,937.25
1,493.50
1,852.50
1,975.30
1,411.20
$20,172.20
*Total Net Income reflects 15 percent commission paid to advertising agen-
cies handling the placement of display advertisements; professional cards
do not earn agency commissions.
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the general economic situation prevailing during 1967-70 and its impact
on advertising budgets,, (b) the tendency for advertising agencies to not
recognize the supplement as a viable medium, and (c) a strong feeling on
the part of the advertisers and their agencies that advertisements placed
in the supplement going to an addressee in the same envelope as a Journal
also carrying one of their advertisements was not economically attractive.
Acceptance and Interest
In attempting to evaluate the acceptance and degree of interest of
individuals and organizations in the research supplement as a medium
for the prompt dissemination of research studies and results two primary
factors were viewed: the potential circulation of a research publication
to those directly interested and a questionnaire survey of the Federation's
members and subscribers.
The first is related to the matter of exploring sources of financial sup-
port for the supplement and is discussed in a subsequent sub-section of
this Discussion commentary. In relation to the matter of acceptance and
interest, a staff review of the water pollution control research community
using Federation membership data, knowledge of the field, estimates of
publicly and privately employed researchers, and data on graduate
training programs in U.S. universities as documented by the American
Association of Professors in Sanitary Engineering, an estimated 2,000
individuals is considered reasonable for individuals so interested that
they could be expected to subscribe to such a publication despite what
would be a relatively high unit cost. This contrasts with the circulation
during the life of this project when about 20,000 copies of the supplement
were being distributed monthly at its termination in August 1970.
In April 1970 following publication of 10 of the 12 research supplement
issues to be partially supported by the federal grant, a questionnaire
survey of the Federation membership was made using a tear-out, business
reply form (see Section IX, Appendix) in the organization's monthly news-
letter.
Table 3 presents a numerical tabulation of the replies; not all respondents
answered all questions. It is difficult to assess the degree to which the
replies represent a valid cross section of Federation membership; the
comparison of percentages of various job categories to total replies vs.
the percentages of these job categories to Journal circulation (as of
December 31, 1969) offer the only insight. Table 4 shows the complete
breakdown of Journal circulation as of December 31, 1969.
Comments are presented below item-by-item following the order of the
questionnaire form and of Table 3.
1. The tabulated responses to question No. 1 do not exactly follow the
job categories and their percentage of Journal circulation as shown in
Table 3 but come quite close in a number of the categories. Education/
research people responded in a substantially greater proportion than they
account for in total membership.
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Table 3 - Numerical Tabulation of 1,989 Questionnaire Replies on Reader
Survey, Journal Water Pollution Control Federation Research
Supplement (Item numbers correspond to survey form, see Appendix)
. JOB FUNCTION
Category
Replies
Consulting Engr. 4-92
Fed., State, Local Engr./Chem. 570
Pub. Health Engr, 47
Pub. Official 2
Equipment Mfgr. Personnel 149
Ind. Waste Engr./Chem. 199
Ed. /Res. Personnel 241
Coll. Sys./Trt. Pit. 315
Other 142
of Total Replies vs. % of WPCF
1969 Journal Circulation*
25
29
2
-
7
10
12
16
7
26
6
6
11
5
4
16
Less than 2
337
of Replies 17
2 YEARS OF WPCF MEMBERSHIP
2-5 5-10
456
23
454
23
Over 10
659
33
. GOAL OF PUBLISHING RESEARCH
of Replies
1,822
92
No
77
4
. SUPPLEMENT FULFILLS GOAL
Very Significantly To a Degree
of Replies
470
24
958
48
No at All
17
0.9
SUPPLEMENT PAPERS READ (per issue)
87
% of Replies 4
1-2
599
30
3-5
739
37
6-8
41
2
All
203
10
SUPPLEMENT USED AS A REFERENCE
% of Replies
leg.
1,355
68
391
20
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Continuation of Table 3
7. PUBLISH RESEARCH MATERIAL
More Less , , About the Same
597 109 1,017
of Replies 30 5 51
8~]BEST MEANS OF PUBLICATION
Quarterly Suppl. Added Jour. Pgs. Separate Publ. Other
% of Replies
846
43
586
29
320
16
18
0.9
9. SUBSCRIBE TO SEPARATE PUBLICATION
Yes No
862 972
% of Replies 43 49
-*See Table 4 for overall breakdown of 1969 Journal circulation.
NOTE: 1,989 replies were received by the published cutoff date of May 18,
1970.
Not all respondents replied to all questions.
% of replies cited are based on total returns of 1,989.
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Table 4 - Summary of Journal Water Pollution Control Federation Circula-
tion as of December 31, 1969.
Job Function Circulation
Cons. Engr. 4,889
Federal, State, Local Engr./Chem, 1,0-74
Pub. Health Engr. 1,163
Pub. Official 1,438
Ed./Res, Personnel 78-4
Ind. Waste Engr./Chem. 878
Wastewater Coll./Trt. Oper.f Super., Chem. 3,134
Libraries 1,091
Military Agency or Personnel 148
Manufae tur er s 2,064
Students 542
Awaiting Classification 1,823
TOTAL 19,323
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2. Distribution of the respondents' years of Federation membership was
surprisingly even in the categories used. It would seem that those
responding are predominately solid, continuing, and interested Federation
members.
3. This question was designed intentionally to provide an overwhelming
"yes" answer so that respondents would be led to answering the subsequent
questions.-
4. Less than 1 percent of the respondents believe that the research
supplement has failed in meeting the goal of publishing and disseminating
appropriate research material, while 24 percent feel that it has succeede-d
very significantly. There is a large middle ground in the responses in
the replies to this question. Of 1,445 answers to the question over 98
percent indicated that the supplement has been successful in meeting the
goal cited in question No. 3.
5. The largest group of respondents read about one-half of the material
presented in the supplement; this is a high percentage as contrasted to
most technical publications. This suggests a substantial value attached
to research reports by Journal readers. Most supplement issues contained
8 to 10 papers.
6. Question No. 6 reflects what is perhaps the traditional and continuing
value of the Journal, that of a documented reference. Certainly,, the
Journal and the research supplement are different in character and lasting
value from more commercially oriented publications in this regard, and
the replies to this question seem to bear this out. This, too, may be
construed to point out the desirability and necessity of the Federation
to provide this type service to the field.
7» The replies indicate that a proper balance was achie-ved in the amount
of research material published vs. other types. However, almost 40 per-
cent of the respondents represented consultants and education/research
personnel who may well have a greater professional as well as a greater
vested interest in published research than do other categories of Federa-
tion membership. This could account for the rather low percentage that
suggests less research be published, and may disproportionally color the
view of this particular question.
8. The percentage of respondents saying the supplement or added Journal
pages is the best means of meeting the goal of research publishing is
actually closer than is shown numerically. In retrospect, perhaps the
question should have been phrased d-ifferently or should not have included
the option of marking the supplement item. The 43 percent favoring con-
tinuation of the supplement in its present form is discountable to some
degree since human nature would lead some to this answer merely because
that was the method being used. Most importantly, 1,432 respondents, or
72 percent, have said publish appropriate research material in either the
supplement or an expanded regular Journal. The very low interest in a
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separate research publication bears out earlier staff assessments of this
method as discussed earlier in this sub-section.
9. The closing comment in the preceding paragraph is applicable here,, too.
Those responding "yes" noted many qualifications, most pertaining to cost.
A circulation of 2,000 for a separate -publication is a generous estimate,
and costs to support such an effort may tend to make this figure1 even more
literal. This alleviate is not as desirable from the standpoint of a
documented reference.
Publication of- appropriate research material must be continued based on
this survey. This conforms to perhaps the basic reason the Federation was
formed in 1928, the editorial policies followed from then to the present,
and the stated feelings of the Publications Committee and the Board of
Control. . -
There is no strong indication from the survey relative to choosing between
continuing the quarterly supplement format and devoting an equivalent
number of regular Journal pages to research material. A separate publi-
cation for. subscription by those particularly interested was not shown
by the survey as an appealing and responsive alternative.
The respondents represent a viable cross section of Federation membership
and the numbers of responses in the various job categories conform
generally to what might have been logically expected beforehand. The
top four categories of respondents and their replies - consulting engineers;
federal, state, and local engineers/chemists; education/research .personnel;
and collection system/treatment plant personnel - are tabulated separately
for question No. 8 relative to the best means of publishing appropriate
research material. This tabulation is shown in Table 5 and may be compared
to the overall tabulation presented in Table 3.
By the published return date of May 18, 1970, only 33 replies had been
received from outside the U.S.; 31 from Canada and 2 from Europe.
Value as a' Permanent Reference-
The preceding sub-section contains some commentary on this point. By
publishing the research supplement as a part of the Federation Journal,;
maximum benefit in establishing a permanent, retrievable reference was
obtained.
Separate pagination, using an R preceding the technical, editorial page
numbers, was used to clearly differentiate the supplement from the regular
Journal. Consecutive page numbering was employed in each volume year.
English language abstracts written in an informative style and complemented
with carefully chosen keywords for information retrieval were prepared for
each paper published and included in each issue and designed for use
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Table 5 - Selected Respondent Job Categories and Their Replies to Question No. B
Category
Oons . Engr .
Fed. , state, local
engr./chem.
Ed. /Res,
Operators
Grand
Total
All Respondents
492
570
241
315
Total
Answers to
Question #8
474
321
223
305
Quart.
Suppl.
No. %
239 49(50)
182 32(57)
102 42(46)
124 40(4D
Added
JOUT.-DES.
No. %
148 30(31)
90 16(28)
80 33(36)
111 35(36)
Separate
Piibl.
No. %
83 17(18)
47 8(15)
35 15(16)
66 21(22)
Other
No. %
4 -
2 -
6 -
4 -
ro
NOTE: 1. Not all respondents answered the question. The differences between the
responses tabulated in Table 5 and the tota.l replies were not tabulated in
any further way but are assumed to be in essentially the same proportions
relative to publishing research material as shown in Table 3 for question
No. 3.
2. Percentages without parentheses are based on grand total of respondents;
percentages in parentheses are based on replies to question No. 8 only.
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following the Engineers Joint Council system. These abstracts, but not
including the keywords, were translated into French, German, Portuguese,
and Spanish and also published in each issue. This scheme followed that
of a pattern established in the Journal in January 1966.
Indexing was accomplished with regular Journal indexing in the December
Journal issue of each volume year. This was presented in the form of
author, subject, and geographical entries based on the keywords previously
chosen for each published paper.
These procedures provide the most tnorough and useful permanent documented
reference of the material published that could be devised.
Self-Support
Other means of financial support in addition to federal assistance were
investigated. These included advertising; dues; increased subscription
prices; special assessments from research-oriented individuals, organiza-
tions, or enterprises; reprints; and page charges.
1. Advertising already has been discussed.
2. Dues are a critical item for the Federation membership.
Analyzing the membership produces some interesting results. If it was
assumed that there would be no change in the dues to Active Members
prevailing prior to 1970, the growth of that class of membership alone
during the 3-year period of the grant would produce funds which would
more than pay for the supplement the following year and, with continued
growth, could bear the cost in the future. This may be over-emphasis
because of rising costs and other needs for funds, but is pointed out
to demonstrate that membership growth is a factor of real budgetary
significance.
3. Increasing subscription prices is another way to apply leverage
toward membership and is a fairly common practice. Subscribers who
are eligible thus are encouraged to become members. However, in the
Federation most subscribers are libraries, companies, or foreign
individuals or organizations who do not now fit the membership struc-
ture. Funds from reasonable increases in this area would not solely
support publication of the supplement.
4. Special assessments have been used by some organizations. This
possibility was aimed at investigating the potential for some kind of
special support from research-oriented agencies and individuals. No
practical way has been found yet of developing this idea in a way that
would be palatable to those concerned.
5. Additional revenues from reprints is based on the possibility of
getting into the reprint-selling business. A sizable number of reprints
are sold each year but most of these go to the authors who are invited
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to order reprints at the time the paper is printed. An expansion of the
reprint operation would "be to order selected reprints and advertise and
sell them. Selection, storage, administrative load, and demand uncertain-
ties precluded seeking solid experience with this option.
6. Page charges are a practice that has grown in the scientific publish-
ing field in recent years. In its use the author pays a fixed amount per
page for a paper published. It has developed because publication costs
have risen faster than organization revenues. It is strictly a revenue
producing technique but has disadvantages. For example, the idea that
an author pays to have papers published tends to give the author a feeling
of leverage. It is easy to see how much more complex and sensitive it
would be to deal with many authors. Another problem is collecting the
fees. The system is necessarily operated essentially on an honor system
and payment never is 100 percent. Again there is the danger of forming
opinions which could influence the acceptability of manuscripts. If
so the integrity of technical content could be jeopardized. The American
Chemical Society uses page charges and attempts to shelter the editorial
staff from all knowledge of who pays. The Federation's operation is too
small to maintain such segregation of knowledge.
A recent survey of 362 journals showed that 76 levied page charges and
17 others charged for excess pages. The charges ranged from $6 to $60
per page and collections ranged from about 50 to 80 percent. A further
discovery of concern is the fact that the trend in collections is down.
Some organizations such as the American Physical Society depend on about
70 percent of the cost of publication from page charges.
The following data show about how much revenue page charges would generate
to the Federation by assuming the choices of charges and by assuming page
charges would be restricted to the research supplement. It would not
appear practical to consider charging authors for pages in the regular
Journal, especially since some of the material such as from operators is
difficult to obtain; assessing charges essentially would eliminate oper-
ating material.
Assume 510 editorial pages in 1968 supplement
Assume 75 percent collection
@ $25 per page $ 9,500
@ $50 per page $19,000
7. The remaining major alternate investigated was the possibility of
obtaining further assistance from the federal government through a grant
extension or a new grant. Discussions in April 1970 indicated a lack of
optimism toward such funding for the following reasons:
(a) the supplement was viewed as an experimental effort to determine
the feasibility of such a publication developing its own self-
sustaining support as an effective and economical means of
disseminating research information to the field;
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(b) the EPA-WQO (then FWPCA) plan of publishing research reports
through the U.S. Government Printing Office; and
(c) the reduction in federal research grant funds for fiscal 1971.
Budget
Table 6 presents a summary budget for the three-year grant period con-
trasting original estimates vs. actual experience.
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Table 6. - Project Budget Summary
Budget Category
Salaries and Wages
Supplies
Publication Costs
Rent
Other**-
TOTALS
WPCF
Federal
Year*
_ First
Expense
Est.
$31,760
500
36,000
3,520
7, -440
$79,220
Act.
$1-4,188
500
38,517
3,520
1,238
$57,963
$ 5,796
$52,167
Second
Expense
Est.
$33,300
600
43,200
3,520
2,950
$83,570
Act.
$15,045
700
40,996
3,520
501
$60,763
$24,305
$36,458
Third
Expense
Est.
$34,700
700
51,800
3,520
3,200
$93,920
Act.
$21,085
700
45,314
3,520
579
$71,198
$53,405
$17,793
* First - June 1, 1967 - August 31, 1968; 90% federal participation.
Second - September 1, 1968 - August 31, 1969; 60% federal participation.
TMrd - September 1, 1969 - August 31, 1970; 25% federal participation.
*-*Includes translations, communications, travel, and advertising promotions.
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SECTION VII
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Water Pollution Control Federation expresses its appreciation to the
Environmental Protection Agency - Water Quality Office and its predecessor
agencies who administered the grant for supporting in part the work
described in this report. Particular acknowledgment is made of the
cooperation and encouragement given "by former Commissioner David D.
Dominiek; Assistant Commissioner Dr. David G. Stephan; and the Project
Officer, Dr. Roger Don Shull.
The Federation staff responsibilities were carried from the beginning of
the project in 1967 until July 1969 by Dr. Ralph E. Fuhrman, Executive
Secretary and principal investigator; Robert A. Canham, Assistant Secre-
tary and Editor; and Bob G. Rogers, Manager of Publications. In July
1969 Mr. Canham became the principal investigator and in October 1969
he became Executive Secretary. In January 1970 Mr. Rogers became Editor.
Mr. Robert H. Dark, Office Manager, served throughout the project.
The project was supported in part by Research Grant WP-01125-01 originat-
ing in the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, U.S. Depart-
ment of the Interior. The Project Number was 16090 DQ£.
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SECTION VIII
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
The following publications were produced during the conduct of this
project;
Journal Water Pollution Control Federation
Research Supplement
Editor; Vols. 39, 40, 41
Vol. 42
Vol. 39, Part 2, October 1967
Vol. 40, Part 2, February 1968
Part 2, May 1968
Part 2, August 1968
Part 2, November 1968
Vol. 41, Part 2, February 1969
Part 2, May 1969
Part 2, August 1969
Part 2, November 1969
Vol. 42, Part 2, February 1970
Part 2, May, 1970
Part 2, August 1970
Robert A. Canham
Bob G. Rogers
-29-
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s
SECTION IX
APPENDIX
READER SURVEY
JOURNAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL FEDERATION — RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT
TO: WPCF MEMBERS AND SUBSCRIBERS:
As a Federation member or subscriber you have, since October 1967, been receiving the Research Supple-
ment quarterly along with the regular WPCF Journal. This supplement is supported in part by a research
grant from the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration; this grant expires in August 1970.
This questionnaire is designed to solicit your opinion of the Federation's role in publishing research ma-
terial and of the best way to fulfill that role. The information obtained and its analysis will assist in determin-
ing future effective and efficient means of membership services.
We urge you to complete the form, answering all questions, and returning it to us by May 18 using the
prepaid postage provided. Simply fold the sheet permitting the return address to show, staple the edge, and
mail.
Thank you for your cooperation.
ROBERT A. CANHAM
"Executive Secretary
1—What is your primary job function? (Check one):
O
5 Q Consulting engineer [J Industrial waste engineer or chemist
< Q Federal, state, local engineer, or chemist Q Education or research personnel
* D Public health engineer Q Wastewater collection/treatment manager,
operator, or chemist
& Q Elected public official
|H F] Equipment manufacturing personnel Q Other, Specify
2—How long have you been a WPCF member or subscriber? (Check one):
Q Less than 2 yr [J 2-5 yr. Q 5-10 yr. Q Over 10 yr
3—Should WPCF have as a goal the publication of appropriate research material for the water pollution con-
trol field? Q Yes Q No
4 Does the Research Supplement help fulfill the objectives cited on Question 3? (Check one):
Q Very significantly D Not at a11
Q To a degree
5 of the approximately 8 papers published in each Research Supplement, how many do you read? (Check one):
Q None D 1-2 Q 3-5 D 6'8 D M1
6 Have you used the Research Supplement as a reference? Q Yes Q No
7 xhe WPCF should publish Q more, Q less, Q about the same amount of research material as it has in 1968
and 1969 in the Journal and quarterly Supplement.
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8—If your answer to Question 7 is more or about the same, what is the best means of publication? (Check one):
Q Quarterly Research Supplement to Journal
Q Added pages to regmar Journal
r] Separate research publication offered for sub-
scription by those most interested
Other. Specify —
9—Would you subscribe to a separate research publication of the size and frequency of the present Supplement
and at a cost over and above regular WPCF dues? Q Yes Q No
10—Other comments (include any comment you wish to make about WPCF publications or other services).
11—Complete this item only if you wish.
Signature
Member Association
Fold, then staple or tape, and return using the prepaid postage provided. Thank you for your cooperation.
Water Pollution Control Federation, 3900 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, D. C. 200rl6
FOLD HERE —
Postage
Will be Paid
by
Addressee
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
First Class Permit No. 32286 Washington, D. C.
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL FEDERATION
3900 WISCONSIN AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20016
-32-
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SELECTED WATER
RESOURCES ABSTRACTS
INPUT TRANSACTION FORM
1. Report No.
2.
4. Title
Research Supplement to Journal
Water Pollution Control Federation
7. Author(s,
9. Organization
Water Pollution Control Federation
3. Accession No.
w
5. Report Date ;
6. ' ' ''•
8. Performing Organization
Report No.
10. Project No.
16090 DQZ
11. Contract/Grant No.
13. Type of Report and
Period Covered
12. Sponsoring Organization
is. Supplementary Notes Journal Water Pollution Control Federation: Vol0 39, 10, Part 2,
October 1967; Vol. 40, Nos. 2, 5,8, and 11, Parts 2, February, May, August, November
1968; Vol. 41, Nos. 2, 5, 8, 11, Parts 2, February, May, August, November 1969; Vol»
42, NOO. 2. 5. ft PnTi+.a 71
Ports 2, February, May, August 1970.
16. Abstract
Publication of a quarterly research supplement to Journal Water Pollution
Control Federation with federal grant support was carried out from October 1967 to
August 1970. This was an experimental effort to determine the feasibility of such a
publication in developing its own self-sustaining support as an effective and economical
means of disseminating research information to the water pollution control field. The
12 issues published in the three-year grant period proved to be an effective means of
such dissemination and demonstrated an excellent method of creating a permanent,
etrievable source of pertinent information. The project was not successful economically
in that advertising and other revenues did not reach anticipated goals. In the absence
of self-sustaining income and the availability of continued federal support, the project
was terminated in August 1970 at the end of the grant period. Each of the twelve (12)
issues published contains eight to ten authored research papers on a variety of subjects
and each is abstracted in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. All papers
are indexed in the annual index of the Journal.
17a. Descriptors
17b. Identifiers
Research and development, * Publications, Water pollution, Water quality
Water resources
Research and Development, * Waste Water (Pollution), *Waste Water Treat
ment, *Waste Water Disposal, •* Publications, Water Pollution, Water
Pollution Control, Water Pollution Effects, Water Pollution Sources,
Water Pollution Treatment, Water Quality, Water Resources
nc.COWRR Field & Group 01 B, 03 D-E, 05 A-G, 06 A, 06 D, 07 A-C, 10 A
18. Availability
Abstractor
Bob G.
19.
20.
Rogers
Security Class.
(Report)
Security Class.
(Page)
1 Insti
21. No. of
Pages
22. Price
tution Water
Send To:
WATER RESOURCES SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
WASHINGTON, D. C. 2O24Q
Pollution Control
Federation
CENTER
WRSIC 1O2 (REV. JUNE 1971)
913.261
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