CSD Communications
CSD Communications are a way to share small molecule crystal structures directly in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) without an associated scientific publication.
This may include new data collections of novel structures or new determinations or re-refinements of previously published compounds. CSD Communications have an ISSN number and each entry contains the author list and crystallographer details as supplied by the depositor. This allows authors and data producers to get credit for their data, as their structure receives a full CCDC citation including DOI and publication year.
The objective of CSD Communications is to help scientists contribute to the quantity of crystallographic data available to the public. CSD Communications provide the scientific community with access to around 5,000 crystallographic structures every year which may never have otherwise been made public. CSD Communications were previously known as Private Communications.
Explore structures published as CSD Communications in our online access structures service, by searching Journal = CSD Communications.
About CSD Communications
Information
The CCDC allows you to publish data directly through the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) as a CSD Communication. Over 49,000 structures have been published this way since 1976.
By publishing in the CSD, knowledge and insights can be drawn from the collective data. This is used to discover new drugs, develop new materials, and understand fundamental chemistry – see how people use the CSD in our case studies.
Depositions where no associated scientific article is envisaged but that the depositor would like to share through the CSD are referred to as CSD Communications (formerly known as Private Communications) and will contain the author list supplied by the depositor. For recommendations on who should be included as an author please see our CIF Deposition Guidelines.
Resources
- Video: how to publish CSD Communications
- PDF step-by-step instructions in Mandarin and English
- Video: how to update and publish your crystal structures with the My Structures portal.
Depositors of CSD Communications should be aware that a few journals will not accept papers which contain data that have previously been published in any form, including electronic publication on web pages or in a distributed database.
Benefits of Sharing Data as a CSD Communication
Recognition
A citable DOI allows you to receive credit for your structures and add the data to you ORCID record.
A journal ISSN (2631-9888) to make recording CSD Communications citations and publications more convenient for publishers and academic institutions.
If you would like to reference a CSD Communication then we would recommend using the following style of citation;
“D.S.Cati, H.Stoeckli-Evans, CCDC 227635: CSD Communication, 2004, DOI: 10.5517/cc7mw2s”
Discoverability
Automatic linking via CCDC DOI from third-party repositories, such as DataCite, the Web of Science Data Citation Index and may also be linked from ChemSpider, PubChem and PDB Chemical Component Dictionary
Ease
Publish data through the deposition process and update details via the “MyStructures” User Portal. Deposit data directly with the CCDC as a CSD Communication here.
You are also able to publish previously deposited data directly through the CSD as a CSD Communication at any time after deposition. To do this you should log in and go to ‘My Structures‘. From the list of your deposited structures, any that have a status of ‘Unpublished’ have not been made accessible to the public or added to the CSD.
If you would like to publish any of these structures as a CSD Communication click on the ‘Details’ button. You will then be shown a Details page, where you should check and confirm that the author names associated with the data are correct then press ‘Publish in a database’ to publish your data.
Integrity
Resulting CSD entry curated and enhanced by our scientific editors
As a CSD Communication will not have additional information available in a published paper, it is especially important for the depositor to include as much information as possible in the CIF with the crystal structure data. Information such as the modelling of disorder or experimental data (such as the compound’s melting point) are not routinely added by refinement software, but will allow us to create a full and accurate database entry for the structure.
For information on the data deposition process and information required please read our structure deposition or FAQ pages. The web deposition service also integrates the IUCr’s checkCIF service which highlights issues with the refinement that may require further consideration. We may contact you regarding any queries arising during the editorial validation process.
Speed
Your data made instantly available to the world via Access Structures with simple steps to deposit your data with us using our Deposit Structures service. For most structures only minutes from clicking Submit button to receiving the confirmation of a new or revised CCDC number for your compound.
Compliance
Meets funder data policies in a recognized repository.
Security
Free, long-term data preservation in a trusted repository, stored where you can access it from anywhere.
Impact
Your data can be re-used by a wider community in different fields, to design drugs, new materials, etc.
Archive
The CSD Communications archive contains all of the data published directly through the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) by the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) as CSD Communications (previously known as Private Communications). Select a year to view all CSD Communications published in that year.