Cambridge Structural Database User Survey Launched

The Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) currently contains crystal structure information for over 450,000 organic and metal-organic compounds determined by X-ray and neutron diffraction.  

The number of structures added per year has increased from just a few hundred in 1965, when the CCDC was founded, to over 30,000 in 2007. This annual increase is set to continue rising. 

In order to improve our database editing procedures and the overall information content of the CSD, it is important for us to have a clear view of:

§         Which information fields in the CSD are most important to users?

§         Can any of the current information be better expressed?

§         Are there additional information items that should be added?

Therefore, the CCDC is carrying out a comprehensive and detailed CSD user survey.  The outcomes of this survey will inform decisions about data content and how to maximise the use of the CSD and its benefit to users.

We would like to gather opinions from all types of CSD users, from occasional users to those scientists for whom the CSD is a central part of their research activities.  Since the CSD is used in a very wide variety of scientific disciplines, we also wish to obtain opinions from the broadest possible spectrum of our user base.

The closing date for return of the survey is 31 December 2008.

Everyone who completes the survey before this date will be entered into a prize draw.

For more information, or to take the survey go to:  http://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/products/csd/user_survey/

The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre

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