[Taxacom] Fwd: Zootaxa taken off of JCR

Mon Jul 6 15:52:21 CDT 2020

Agreed.
I reiterate my offer of signing a neutral letter of “no journal
misconduct”. It would be key that reviewers do this, as they (we) are
naturally less vulnerable to citation inflation requests. This ban is an
effort from Clarivate to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.
If we have no evidence of scientific integrity being broken during the
review process, we should state that. By doing so we will address
Clarivate's original concern and indirectly show that they may need to
reassess their arbitrary threshold. That is the best way I see to help
colleagues in need, without necessarily endorsing Zootaxa or the JIF. I
guess that there are Zootaxa editors in this list that could coordinate a
“reviewers statement”.

Cheers,
Carlos

On Mon, 6 Jul 2020 at 22.17, Michael A. Ivie <mivie at montana.edu> wrote:

> Dear Carlos,
>
> I think you misunderstand me.  What I mean is that we have to be
> sympathetic to colleagues in a situations that require IF, and is out of
> their control, for their continuing employment.  The people making this
> requirement are not scientists (clearly), but administrators who perfectly
> fit your statement: "Personally, I will look down to anyone trying to
> evaluate my research based on the JIF of the journals I have published in.
> I would expect that those persons do not call themselves scientists,
> because they would not be acting like scientists."
>
> I totally agree! But, I have to support some truly fine scientists caught
> in a trap by this.
>
> I am lucky, my institution does not use the IF to evaluate me, and after
> many years looking at promotion and tenure debates, I have seen a few times
> people have used IF as a supplemental statement to support someone ("she
> also publishes in some high IF journals"), I have never seen a case of
> someone saying "he does not publish in high enough IF journals" as a
> negative. Never.  I assume your institution is the same.
>
> BUT, and this is a huge BUT, apparently some institutions, especially
> (apparently) in parts of Europe and South America, take this very
> seriously.  It is stupid, illogical, unscientific, lazy and ridiculous, but
> it is also a fact of life for them.
>
> Those are the  people who need this.   I wish no one did, I hate it
> anytime a discussion of IF comes up, but it would be selfish of me to say
> "I hate it, and I will not support anything that brings it back." Your
> offer of a letter that says you have never seen any evidence of
> "corruption" in the papers you have reviewed is a good compromise.
>
> Mike
> On 7/6/2020 9:59 AM, Carlos Alberto Martínez Muñoz wrote:
>
> Dear Michael,
> "...this issue has nothing to do with science or logic, it is purely the
> politics of academic advancement of scientists’ careers." I wholeheartedly
> agree.
> "We have to support that...". Definitely not.
>
> Before I continue, I will briefly outline the logical fallacy behind the
> IF.
> Please read: "Fallacy of Affirming the Consequent (
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirming_the_consequent)"
>
> Summarized:
> True conditional statement:
> • If P then Q
> Invalidly concluding its converse:
> • Q
> • Therefore P
>
> Tailored to the JIF:
> True conditional statement:
> • If it has high quality (P) then it has high repercussion (Q)
> Invalidly concluding its converse:
> • It has high repercussion (Q)
> • Therefore it has high quality (P)
>
> Building up a scientific career on a logical fallacy may not seem a
> paradox to many but it is to me. One can be a scientist or not, one has to
> choose to be coherent or not. I do not see anything in between. This JIF
> issue is inherently incoherent and if I cannot have an academic career
> because I do not bow down to such incoherence, then so be it. Personally, I
> will look down to anyone trying to evaluate my research based on the JIF of
> the journals I have published in. I would expect that those persons do not
> call themselves scientists, because they would not be acting like
> scientists. Moreover, like many colleagues here, I am tired of this
> derogatory metric, to which authors' work doesn't matter, reviewers' work
> doesn't matter, just journal names matter. I cannot understand how the same
> scientists that think they can convince Clarivate Analytics to give back
> the JIF to Zootaxa also think that they cannot elaborate why this metric
> should not be used and convince their own institutions. Or maybe I can. It
> may well be that many "scientists" are willing to profit from the JIF for
> the "academic advancement of scientists’ careers", regardless of the JIF
> being a fallacy. I hope that they can look at the mirror and see themselves
> for what they truly are.
>
> Kind regards,
> Carlos
>
> Carlos A. Martínez Muñoz
> Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit
> FI-20014 University of Turku
> Finland
> Myriatrix <http://myriatrix.myspecies.info/>
> ResearchGate profile
> <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carlos_Martinez-Munoz>
> Myriapod Morphology and Evolution
> <https://www.facebook.com/groups/205802113162102/>
>
>
>
>
> El lun., 6 jul. 2020 a las 16:45, Alfredo Vizzini (<
> alfredo.vizzini at unito.it>) escribió:
>
>> ... but we must not resign ourselves and fight against this stupid
>> evaluation system
>>
>> Best
>> Alfredo Vizzini
>>
>>
>> https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo_Vizzini
>>
>>
>>                    /--- Phylogeny
>>                /---+
>>                |   \---- of unknown
>>          /-----+
>>          |     \----- Fungal
>>        --+
>>          \------------- Diversity
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Il giorno lun 6 lug 2020 alle ore 16:19 Ivie, Michael via Taxacom <
>> taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> ha scritto:
>>
>>> Carlos, this issue has nothing to do with science or logic, it is purely
>>> the politics of academic advancement of scientists’ careers.  We have to
>>> support that, no matter how unscientific or illogical the mechanism (or
>>> even inappropriate) is.  I agree with your points, but not your conclusion.
>>> Mike
>>>
>>>
>>> __________________________________________________
>>> Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D., F.R.E.S.
>>>
>>> NOTE: two addresses with different Zip Codes depending on carriers
>>>
>>> US Post Office Address:
>>> Montana Entomology Collection
>>> Marsh Labs, Room 50
>>> PO Box 173145
>>> Montana State University
>>> Bozeman, MT 59717
>>> USA
>>>
>>> UPS, FedEx, DHL Address:
>>> Montana Entomology Collection
>>> Marsh Labs, Room 50
>>> 1911 West Lincoln Street
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/1911+West+Lincoln+Street+%0D%0A++++++++++++++Montana+State?entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> Montana State
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/1911+West+Lincoln+Street+%0D%0A++++++++++++++Montana+State?entry=gmail&source=g>
>>> University
>>> Bozeman, MT 59718
>>> USA
>>>
>>> (406) 994-4610 (voice)
>>> (406) 994-6029 (FAX)
>>> mivie at montana.edu
>>>
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> on behalf of Carlos
>>> Alberto Martínez Muñoz via Taxacom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>>> Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 7:14 AM
>>> To: Taxa com <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>>> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Fwd: Zootaxa taken off of JCR
>>>
>>> Dear Taxacomers,
>>> I don't care about the JIF or about Zootaxa not getting it anymore. The
>>> JIF
>>> is unscientific as it is based on a logical fallacy. By not getting it,
>>> Zootaxa has been released from its chains, even if unwillingly. All the
>>> whining for having those chains back is unscientific as well, and it
>>> evidences how poorly prepared our community is in some topics of logic
>>> and
>>> scientific methodology. Moreover, with so many free-to-publish and
>>> free-to-read platinum open access journals out there, every page
>>> published
>>> in a paywalled journal is a disservice to Taxonomy. This is 2020. We have
>>> the means to be better and to do better.
>>> Beyond that, I will not sign an "I support Zootaxa" letter but I would
>>> sign a neutral statement such as "We have reviewed for Zootaxa and we
>>> state
>>> that no misconduct related to journal self-citations has been suggested
>>> or
>>> demanded from us...". I have never published in Zootaxa, while I have
>>> written three manuscript reviews (about 25 pages) within the last six
>>> months. So, if you think that a "no journal self-citation misconduct"
>>> neutral statement signed by reviewers can be of any use in getting
>>> Zootaxa
>>> back to the IF fallacy, you can count with my signature.
>>> Kind regards,
>>> Carlos
>>>
>>> Carlos A. Martínez Muñoz
>>> Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit
>>> FI-20014 University of Turku
>>> Finland
>>> Myriatrix <http://myriatrix.myspecies.info/>
>>> ResearchGate profile
>>> <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carlos_Martinez-Munoz>
>>> Myriapod Morphology and Evolution
>>> <https://www.facebook.com/groups/205802113162102/>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Taxacom Mailing List
>>>
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>>> Nurturing nuance while assaulting ambiguity for about 33 years,
>>> 1987-2020.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Taxacom Mailing List
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>>> Nurturing nuance while assaulting ambiguity for about 33 years,
>>> 1987-2020.
>>>
>> --
> __________________________________________________
>
> Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D., F.R.E.S.
>
> NOTE: two addresses with different Zip Codes depending on carriers
>
> US Post Office Address:
> Montana Entomology Collection
> Marsh Labs, Room 50
> PO Box 173145
> Montana State University
> Bozeman, MT 59717
> USA
>
> UPS, FedEx, DHL Address:
> Montana Entomology Collection
> Marsh Labs, Room 50
>
> 1911 West Lincoln Street
> Montana State <https://www.google.com/maps/search/1911+West+Lincoln+Street%0D%0AMontana+State?entry=gmail&source=g> University
> Bozeman, MT 59718
> USA
>
>
> (406) 994-4610 (voice)
> (406) 994-6029 (FAX)mivie at montana.edu
>
> --

Carlos A. Martínez Muñoz
Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit
FI-20014 University of Turku
Finland
Myriatrix <http://myriatrix.myspecies.info/>
ResearchGate profile
<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carlos_Martinez-Munoz>
Myriapod Morphology and Evolution
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/205802113162102/>