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The papers of George Porter consist of sections relating to various issues: Section A, Biographical, relates to Porter's career, honours and awards from 1955 to 1992 including his appointment as Director of the Royal Instutution (RI)in 1966 and the award of the Nobel Prize in 1967; also includes his Nobel Lecture and the 1986 meeting held in his honour at the RI Flash Photolysis and its Applications'. Section B, Research, relates to Porter's research at Cambridge including notes, drafts and data which also includes periods at Sheffield and records the funding of his research arranged alphabetically by funding body from 1955 to 1987; also includes correspondence with suppliers from 1955 to 1979 and a miscellaneous section on the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory detailing its collaboration with the University of London and the Photochemistry Discussion Group meetings at the RI. Section C, Royal Institution, documents the Director's involvement in the administration of the RI, its organisation, funding and finance, membership, building and maintenance; it also records the organisation of events such as Discourses and Christmas Lectures at the RI for example the correspondence between the Director and Discourse lecturers arranged alphabetically, discourse invitations declined, suggested lecturers and topics, discourse statistics, discourse dinner party records and correspondence with lecturers about their Christmas Lectures; there is also material on the history of the RI, its library, archives and developments of the academic study of the history of science at the RI. Section D, Lectures, broadcasts and publications relates to Porter's role as a scientific communicator. There are drafts chronologically from 1955 to 1988 and alphabetically by folder title or topic, drafts of lectures at the RI for Schools Lectures, Discourses and Christmas Lectures, and research lectures on photochemistry; there is correspondence on BBC radio programmes, and with journals in Porter's editorial and advisory role; there are also records of his teaching at Cambridge, Sheffield and through the Open University as well as his student notes. Section E, Societies, organisations and consultancies, relates to Porter's association with eighty-one organisations. Refers to Porter's membership and leadership of various organisations particularly those of science education and popularisation aspect. The Royal Society is well represented as well as the Paul Instrument Fund. There are also commercial organisations such as the General Electric Research and Development Centre. Section F, Correspondence, consisting heavily ofMiscellaneous Correspondence Files' arranged alphabetically by correspondent and dating from Porter's time as Director of the RI. There is also correspondence of Early Scientific and Miscellaneous Correspondence form 1966 to 1987, as well as Soviet Scientists from 1970 to 1987 and Japanese Scientists from 1973 to 1985. There is also an index of correspondents.