World Book and Copyright Day 2021: Handbook for Medical Physicists Tops IAEA's List of Most Popular Publications

on Apr 23, 2021

Over 4000 scientific and technical publications are available from the IAEA, covering a spectrum of topics in the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. Technical experts, scientists and students all over the world read these publications, which are available for free online. In 2020, the IAEA’s webpages offering publications were accessed more than 1.5 million times. To mark World Book and Copyright Day 2021 and to celebrate the role of books as drivers of scientific, technical and cultural progress, here are the three most accessed IAEA publications from last year:

Diagnostic Radiology: Physics A Handbook for Teachers and Students

Training and education in the application of radiation and medicine is one way the IAEA addresses needs worldwide in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health conditions. This handbook for students and teachers serves as a basis for the education of medical physicists initiating their university studies in the field of diagnostic radiology.

IAEA Safety Glossary: 2018 Edition

The IAEA Safety Glossary, originally issued in 2007, has been revised and updated to take into account new terminology and usage in safety standards issued between 2007 and 2018. It defines, explains and provides information on how to use technical terms cited in the IAEA Safety Standards and other safety related IAEA publications. The revisions and updates reflect developments in the technical areas of safety standards application, as well as changes in regulatory approaches worldwide.

Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material

This publication is the latest edition of the IAEA Safety Requirements series for the safe transport of radioactive material, a series of publications that serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment and contribute to a harmonized, high level of safety worldwide. It is supported by six IAEA Safety Guides, which provide explanation and guidance for the requirements to facilitate implementation. These regulations apply to the transport of radioactive material by all modes – land, water or air – including transport that is incidental to the use of the radioactive material. All of the IAEA’s scientific and technical publications, including international safety standards, technical guides, conference proceedings and scientific reports, can be found here.

Other bibliographic and scientific resources by the IAEA

The IAEA has a physical library with over 1.3 million items in its collection that specializes in information resources related to nuclear energy and other nuclear applications. While a big part of the collection remains on paper, access to electronic resources is becoming more prevalent. Already a trend in the last years, remote access to reliable resources increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, the IAEA Library provides online access to subscription databases and to thousands of journals. It promotes open source resources, such as the International Nuclear Information System (INIS), one of the world’s largest repositories of published research on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. With free global access, INIS boasts over 4.4 million bibliographic records and access to more than 2 million full-text documents. Each year, over 1.7 million users perform around 2.5 million searches. Source: https://www.iaea.org/