Consultant reports and web pages as citable resources -- or not

[Thomas Lammers]

Given that we often cite (in the text) information obtained via "pers.
comm." or that is as yet "unpubl. data," I think it is worth including if
it is truly germane and no more conventional source is available.  As long
as we are honest about the source, I think it is for the best.

At 04:38 PM 11/10/02 -0800, Barry Roth wrote:
>I would like to know Taxacomers' opinions as to whether (a) consultant
>reports, and (b) web pages, are acceptable for inclusion in the Literature
>Cited sections and formal synonymies of published research papers.
>
>Briefly, some of the arguments for and against go as follows:
>
>(a) (pro): consultant reports may contain biology of high quality and
>original observations that are not stated anywhere else; the authors of
>these reports deserve credit for their work.  (con): such reports are
>typically not peer-reviewed in the same way as academic papers and thus
>lack a certain control on their conclusions; they do not form part of the
>network of books and serials that are subscribed to by libraries; they are
>usually produced in short runs, perhaps only a single copy ultimately
>being submitted to the client (who, except perhaps in the cases of some
>public agencies) is under no obligation to make copies available to the
>public upon request; thus the work may be hard for readers to obtain and check.
>
>(b) (pro): web pages may contain good quality work, especially images; web
>content is widely available, with potentially short lead time between the
>work being done and its being web-"published;" depending on the
>willingness of the manager of the site, it may receive real-time "peer
>review" that will allow correction or errors or omissions, making it a
>sensitive presenter of the best information at any given time.  (con): web
>pages are evanescent in the "library time" framework that print journals
>must work within; a web page may change at the author's whim and differ
>when accessed on different occasions; the characteristic peer-review
>process of academic publication is (or may be) lacking, as is the filter
>of being passed through the hands of an editor who is responsible to the
>community at large.
>
>Some of these points may have been discussed previously on this list, but
>as a journal editor I would be very grateful to know what you think.
>
>With thanks,
>
>Barry Roth
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Do you Yahoo!?
>U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive medley & videos from Greatest Hits CD

Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and biogeography
of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood his ground."
                                                               -- Anonymous