Ten years ago Nucleic Acids Research published a special issue devoted to factual databases in the biological sciences. The Database Issue, which appears as the first issue of each year, has now become a regular feature and provides an essential resource for scientists interested in locating databases that encapsulate specific biological knowledge in a computer-accessible form. More recently, many web servers have appeared that perform useful computations on DNA, RNA and protein sequences and structures. Between them they provide an unparalleled array of useful computational services. This new special Web Server Issue is devoted to descriptions of these internet resources and aims to provide both a single source where authors of these web servers can highlight their offerings and where readers can find out what is available. It is the natural companion to the Database Issue and one that will be repeated in 2004.
In the current issue there are reports of 131 web servers that run the gamut from simple pattern prediction to three-dimensional protein structure prediction. The servers described have all been subjected to rigorous peer review, are available free-of-charge and provide invaluable resources to the scientific community. The scientists and programmers who have provided these resources deserve our immense thanks. They illustrate the very best of the scientific spirit that transcends national boundaries and promotes the cooperation and sharing of resources.
Authors interested in submitting articles for the 2004 Web Server Issue should contact Dr R. J. Roberts (roberts@neb.com) before sending in their articles, preferably before December 31, 2003. The deadline for submission of articles will be February 15, 2004. Prospective authors for papers in either the Database Issue or the Web Server Issue should consult the NAR web site (www.nar.oupjournals.org) for further details and submission instructions. Note that the 2004 Database Issue will be edited by Dr Alex Bateman, who should be contacted at nardatabase@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk, no later than July 1 by all authors considering new submissions to that issue.