electronic publication

[Robert H. Cowie]

Following my earlier posting regarding electronic publication of new
species, I came across the following interchange via the BUGNET list. Any
further thoughts?

Rob

>At 01:47 PM 2/26/99 -0600, you wrote:
>>
>>
>>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 11:26:17 -0500
>>From: Michael C Thomas <thomasm at doacs.state.fl.us>
>>To: "'burnside at ksu.edu'" <burnside at ksu.edu>
>>Subject: Cryptocercus paper
>>
>>Dr. Burnside,
>>
>>I have just seen your paper, "Three New Species of the Wood Roach,
>>Cryptocercus (Blattodea: Cryptocercidae), From the Eastern United States",
>>in The World Wide Web Journal of Biology. Based on my reading of the
>>International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, none of the new species
>>described in that paper are valid, since there is no provision for
>>electronic publication in the current Code. I believe it still requires
>>print and defines print as "ink on paper." The new version of the Code
>>apparently will recognize electronic publications only if they are
>>"supplemented by identical copies, printed on paper, and deposited in at
>>least 10 named and internationally dispersed libraries."  and "For purposes
>>of zoological nomenclature, the following kinds of material will be
>>regarded as unpublished: (a) electronically distributed text or
>>illustrations ... " (see summary of changes in new Code at
>>http://www.iczn.org/).
>>
>>Have you looked into this issue and do you have different information? I am
>>most interested in the subject, both as a practising systematist and
>>because I am associated with a journal that is considering moving to Web
>>publishing, at least to the extent allowed by the Code.
>>
>>Michael C. Thomas, Ph.D.
>>Florida State Collection of Arthropods
>>Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
>>P.O. Box 147100
>>Gainesville, FL 32614-7100 U.S.A.
>>email: thomasm at doacs.state.fl.us fax: (352) 334-0737 voice: (352) 372-3505
>>
>Dear Dr. Thomas,
>
>       I am responding to the message you sent to Craig Burnside, who is a
>postdoc in my lab.  We appreciate your feedback on this very important
>issue in a rapidly changing landscape.  I am copying this to the whole list
>as well so there can be a debate on this issue.
>
>       First, the code that is in effect now is one that was published in
>February 1985 by the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature.  The
>next code is expected to be published in "mid-1999 and will come into
>effect on 1 January 2000" according to the ICZN website.  It is stated
>explicitly on the website that the Third Edition (the 1985 version) will
>remain in force until 31, December 1999.  Therefore, we followed the
>provisions articles therein.
>
>       On page 13 (section 7-8) "Criteria for publication" the criteria to be met
>for a work to be regarded as published under the code are listed.  Under
>(a) 3 criteria are listed: issued publicly for the purpose of providing a
>permanent public record, must be obtainable free of charge or for purchase
>when first issued and it must be produced in a way that provides for
>simultaneously obtainable copies by a method that assures numerous
>identical copies.  We believe all of these criteria are unambiguously met
>by a web publication.
>
>       Criteria (b) and (c) are not relevant, so I will skip to (d), which deals
>with works produced after 1985 by a method that does not employ "ink on
>paper".  According to ICZN, a publication is acceptable under the code if
>it meets other requirements of article 7 and is not excluded by provisions
>of article 9.  In addition, it is stipulated that the publication must
>contain a statement by the author(s) that any new name or nomenclatural act
>within it is intended for permanent, public, scientific, record, which is
>what we did.  Finally, ICZN also states that in order to satisfy the third
>criterion in the above paragraph (multiple, simultaneously obtainable
>copies), the relevant information must be given in words in the work
>itself.  Again, we provided this in our paper.
>
>       Article 8 "urges" authors to publish in a print medium, but it DOES NOT
>invalidate works not published by conventional printing.
>
>       As for article 9: (p. 15):  A list is provided of procedures/acts that do
>not constitute a publication.  The only thing I see there that is relevant
>is :"computer printouts as such", I assume they are talking about something
>I can print out from my word processor and pass it on to colleagues as
>opposed to a journal "print out".
>
>        It is very important to point out here the journal in question (The World
>Wide Web Journal of Biology) is indexed by BIOSIS Previews, which is the
>online counterpart of Biological Abstracts, one of the world's premier
>indexing services.  I believe this indexing indicates that people who know
>journals feel that it is a valid journal.
>
>        I would like to hear from you if you have more comments and again thanks
>igniting the debate!  Best wishes.
>
>Srini Kambhampati.
>
>****************************************************************************
>  Srini Kambhampati
>  Associate Professor, Insect Genetics and Evolution
>  Department of Entomology, 123 Waters Hall
>  Kansas State University,  Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
>  Phone: Voice (785) 532-6154; Fax: (785) 532-6232
>  E-mail: srini at ksu.edu
>  http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_entm/faculty/srini.htm
>***************************************************************************
>
>
>
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 Robert H. Cowie, Ph.D.
 Department of Natural Sciences
 Bishop Museum
 1525 Bernice Street
 Honolulu, Hawaii 96817-2704
 USA

 Phone: (808) 848 4118
 Fax:   (808) 847 8252
 Web:   http://hbs.bishop.hawaii.org/cowie.html
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