electronic publication

[Mark O'Brien]

One thing that I noted -- none of the editorial board are systematists and
probably would not know what the ICZN was if it bit them.  In my opinion,
electronic publications are ephemeral; unless a paper-published version
appears first, then distribute reprints via PDF files that are duplicates
of the original publication.  However, html format papers can be corrupted,
changed, etc. How do we know what is the "original" publication. If their
web server crashes, the pubs are not available.   I am sure some
avante-garde biologists think that everything should be on the web or at
your terminal.  Well, people in lesser-developed countries do not have
those benefits.   Printed paper documents are something that one can use at
a microscope, travel with, etc.  When the power goes out, those electronic
pubs are useless.    Publishing new species on the web is sort of like the
guy that decided to make his own mimeographed (remember those?) journal to
describe species in his backyard.  Anyone can describe a new species-
whether on not it is a valid one- is the final question.  If an author
wants to do what is in the best interest of furthering his/her discipline,
then I think any conscientious person would publish in an appropriate
journal.
'nuff said
Mark

>Beneath the problems with the ICZN Code I have got some technical doubts
>about electronic publications.
>
>Publications on the WEB have the big advantage of the availability (cheap,
>>from everywhere and all around the clock). But there are also some technic=
al
>disadvantages against publications on paper as books and journals.
>For example:
>- Servers and adresses in the Internet and also data formats, programs and
>  computer systems change very rapidly, so that something that's ok and
>  valid today may be lost or useless tomorrow.
>- A document (file) may be changed or corrected, what means that there
>  would be different versions or the document isn't anymore available.
>
>Are there mechanisms or rules (for example for the The World Wide Web
>Journal of Biology) that warrant that a publication will also be
>available, unchanged and readable in 100 years?
>
>I know that similar or the same problems can be named for paper publication=
s.
>(Rotten books from the middle-age, changes in the writing, different editio=
ns
>of books), but a paper document gives at least a certain safety for the
>next one or two hundred years (or more).
>As there are libraries there should also be electronic libraries that
>warrant the safety and stability of publications and make updates if
>necessary.
>One possiblity to warrant the stability would be a rule, that an electronic
>publication just gets valid when print-outs of the original version are
>officially deposited in 'X' libraries.
>
>Jurg Sonderegger
>
>Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amaz=F4nia - INPA
>Grupo T=E9cnico de Inform=E1tica - GTI
>Email: jurgson at inpa.gov.br
>Home Page INPA: http://www.inpa.gov.br


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 |  Mark F. O'Brien, Collections Coordinator       ph:   734-747-2199   |
 |  Insect Division, Museum of Zoology            fax:   734-763-4080   |
 |  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109  e-mail:mfobrien at umich.edu  |
 | http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/mfo.html                           |
 |                   UMMZ LAN Coordinator & WebMeister                  |
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