Journals

Chemistry journals for the 16-19 age group

It is well worth subscribing to several chemistry journals - either to receive as hard copies or online. Many countries produce chemistry journals, some specifically for the 16-19 age group. In the past the easiest way to subscribe was to buy the bimonthly schools subscription from the Royal Society of Chemistry. For a relatively modest outlay (£74 annually in the UK, £92 elsewhere) the RSC used to send you copies of six different journals every two months. These were Education in Chemistry and Chem Review from the UK, Chem Matters from the USA, Chem 13 News from Canada, Chem NZ from New Zealand and Chemistry in Action from Eire. In addition they also sent copies of their latest publications and many other ‘goodies’ which differed from month to month. Unfortunately this service seems to have stopped recently but it may be worth checking periodically to see if it is resumed. Certainly the RSC still produces masses of teaching resources for teachers which are well worth looking through.


I had a special wall unit built to go by the entrance to my department (see photograph) in which I put all the journals. It makes the department welcoming and the journals themselves are a good source of ideas for extended essays as well as for general reading and interest. A second copy of each journal and several more general scientific journals such as New Scientist are also available in the school library.

Journals worth considering

1. Education in Chemistry

Produced every two months by the Royal Society of Chemistry. It has articles about all aspects of chemistry education and book reviews.

2. Chemistry Review

Produced by a team working at York University in the UK. Specifically targetted at the 16-19 age group, it contains many interesting articles and also advice on how to answer examination questions correctly.

3. Chem 13 News

Produced by the Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Canada
It contains many interesting articles and quizzes and is aimed very much at the16-19 age group.

4. Chem Matters


Produced by the American Chemical Society specifically for high school students.

5. School Science Review

Written for teachers by teachers for the Association of Science Education.

Other useful ideas for the library

6. Journal of Chemical Education (JCE)

A monthly periodical produced by the American Chemical Society. It contains papers describing experiments and other techniques of use in teaching chemistry. Much of it is geared toward undergraduate education.

7. New Scientist

A very popular weekly magazine about all aspect of science.

8. Nature

An international weekly journal of science.

9. Scientific American

Founded in 1845 it is the oldest continuously published magazine in the U.S. It is published monthly and claims to be the leading source and authority for science and technology for a general audience.

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