Re, Publication in Disseration Abstracts

[Neal Evenhuis]

On Thu, 22 Feb 1996, JAMES BLAKE wrote:

<snip>
> Dissertation Abstracts in of itself satisfies the criteria for a
> publication in that it is reproducible and readily available.
<snip>

Sorry, Jim, but you are very wrong. Check Article 9 on what does NOT
constitute publication.  Dissertation Abstracts "publish" by xerographic
process--not allowed before 1985.

Also, it may be argued that Dissertation Abstracts does not fulfill
Article 8 in that it does NOT publish "in an edition containing
simultaneously obtainable copies ..." They instead publish "on demand".
That is, they only print one-offs of a dissertation when an order comes in.

They are not in the business of providing simultaneously obtainable copies.

Moreover, after 1985:
In order for names to be available in a Dissertation Abstracts
"publication", article 8d(ii) states that the author must provide a
statement that "any new name or nomenclatural act within it is intended
for permanent, public, scientific record". Since the original
versions of dissertations (at least in the U.S.) are discouraged from having
such statements, I think you will not find very many such Dissertation
Abstract "printings" that constitute publication according to the ICZN Code.

Since I am interested in collecting such esoterica for my bibliographic
whims, I would be interested in citations of those Dissertations Abstracts
that appear to be valid "publications".

Neal

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Neal L. Evenhuis                     |  tel:   (808) 848-4138
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