Abstract
Over several decades, publishers have produced many monographs in the earth sciences. Monographs in the fields of geomorphology and climatology, especially, have had a significant impact on learning, teaching, and research. The frequent occurrence of earth science titles in college course syllabi shows the value of monographs for instruction. Colleges in the United States and India, in particular, use titles from a standard book list in geography for background reading and reference. Further, course syllabi indicate titles that are used in both beginning and advanced courses. Data indexed in the Web of Science show that many monographs in geomorphology and climatology have been beneficial for research as well. Monographs published in the early to middle twentieth century are frequently cited in prominent journals. In addition, citation data show that many older titles are used in contemporary research as recent as 2011 and 2012. Data from the Web of Science also bear out the relevance of earth science monographs for research in other fields such as the life sciences, environmental studies and engineering, and even a few social science fields. The regular use of earth science monographs by scientists is confirmation of the importance of this format for the advancement of modern science.
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© John H. Sandy