CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
EN/FR
Search
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Communications, Computers, and Networks

journal

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 26, 2026
Entity authorityQ5154151 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Scientific American special issue on Communications, Computers, and Networks is a special issue of Scientific American dedicated to articles concerning impending changes to the Internet in the period prior to the expansion and mainstreaming of the World Wide Web via Mosaic and Netscape. This issue contained essays by a number of important computer science and internet pioneers. It bore the promotional cover title Scientific American presents the September 1991 Single Copy Issue: Communications, Computers, and Networks.

Reviews

University of California, Berkeley's September 1991 online journal, "Current Cites" commented: "Scientific American Special Issue on Communications, Computers and Networks 265(3) (September 1991): If you purchase a single issue of a magazine this year, this should be it. Filled with eleven articles by some of the biggest names in computer networking, this issue covers all bases and includes suggestions for further readings on the issues." In addition, a 4 September 1991 post to the University of Houston's "Computer System's Forum" also recommends the issue, stating: "These articles cover enough ground that I would recommend the issue to people getting ready to dive into the Internet or understand what is happening in networks these days." An additional post to this same forum on 21 August 1991 comments: "The authors are exceptional, including Mitch Kapor, Mark Weiser, Nicholas Negroponte, Alan Kay, Al Gore, and many others. An excellent issue."

Response

Of this issue, the Electronic Frontier Foundation stated in the article "Scientific American's September Issue to be Sent to All EFF Members" in its September 1991 newsletter:

This month's Scientific American ("Communications, Computers, and Networks") must surely represent the most complete collection of articles and commentary on all aspects of networking to date. As such we feel strongly that it should be made available to as many people as possible. Because of this, we have purchased a large number of copies of this issue that we will be using for various purposes over the coming year. The first use will be to deliver a free copy of to all our members. We are expecting the magazines to be delivered to us at the end of next week and they will go out to our members soon after.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Communications, Computers, and Networks” as journal. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Communications, Computers and Networks.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1991—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Communications, Computers and Networks providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Communications, Computers, and Networks”, the useful work is to connect “journal” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5154151. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1991.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Communications, Computers, and Networks”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Communications, Computers, and Networks primary sources, Communications, Computers, and Networks archive and Communications research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Communications, Computers, and Networks”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Communications, Computers, and Networks” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.