[Taxacom] are journal-ranking algorithms code-compliant?

Tue Apr 14 15:35:36 CDT 2015

I have always treated name authorities as citations (i.e., included the full literature citation in the bibliography).  In the days when paper-based publication dominated and every character on the printed page was precious, editors would push back.  Now, there doesn't seem to be as much (if any) resistance.

Aloha,
Rich

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Taxacom [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of
> Dan Lahr
> Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 1:56 AM
> To: Stephen Thorpe
> Cc: TAXACOM; penev at pensoft.net
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] are journal-ranking algorithms code-compliant?
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> This discussion has brought back an issue that I often wondered about.
> 
> Assume that the authority placed after a name, besides being metadata that
> objectively establishes unambiguous taxon identity, is ALSO a citation.
> This should actually mean that taxonomic descriptions are in fact highly cited.
> 
> Perhaps it is easier to start actually adding authority citations in the references
> list.  This would certainly increase IF, not to mention it may increase objectivity
> in some works. I am not entirely sure what the down-side to doing this would
> be.
> 
> best,
> 
> dan
> 
> __________________________________
> Daniel J. G. Lahr
> PhD, Assist. Prof.
> Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Sao Paulo, Brazil Office number: + 55 (11) 3091 0948
> http://www.ib.usp.br/zoologia/lahr/
> 
> 
> On Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 10:08 PM, Stephen Thorpe
> <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz
> > wrote:
> 
> > Doug Yanega said [Quote]So, if Zootaxa went from 25% of all names to
> > 100%, ...?[Unquote]
> >
> > It might not look too good if the ICZN ever tried to declare Zootaxa
> > as the sole valid journal for zoological nomenclature, since it is
> > privately owned by an ICZN commissioner. Even if he sold it
> > beforehand, its market value would be greatly increased if this were known
> to be in the pipeline.
> > At least it would solve the problem that the electronic amendment
> > seems to have been written with the Zootaxa publishing model firmly in
> > mind (and little or no thought given to other publishing models),
> > though one could perhaps see the whole thing as someone playing a long
> > game for personal gain. I'm not suggesting, of course, that this is
> > the case, but only that it might look that way.
> >
> > Also, the microbiology system is a bit pointless. It simply creates
> > two different systems of nomenclature, one just slightly more
> > "official" than the other. For most intents and purposes, candidatus
> > names are just fine as names for taxa, and their validation in IJSEM
> > adds nothing but a bureaucratic rubber stamp. I guess that there is a
> > bit of bureaucrat in every scientist, defines as making things overly
> > complicated for no practical gain.
> >
> > Stephen
> >
> > --------------------------------------------
> > On Tue, 14/4/15, Doug Yanega <dyanega at ucr.edu> wrote:
> >
> >  Subject: Re: [Taxacom] are journal-ranking algorithms code-compliant?
> >  To: "Roderic Page" <Roderic.Page at glasgow.ac.uk>, "TAXACOM" <
> > taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
> >  Received: Tuesday, 14 April, 2015, 1:18 PM
> >
> >  On 4/13/15 4:44 PM,
> >  Roderic Page wrote:
> >  > Hi Doug,
> >  >
> >  > Alas that’s not how
> >  impact factor works. It’s a function of both the  > number of
> > articles published by a journal,  and the number of  > citations, see
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_factor
> >  >
> >  > Given that most
> >  taxonomic work is likely to few citations (certainly  > over the
> > two-year period typically used  when calculating impact  > factor).
> >  Consider Zootaxa, far and away the largest journal in  > zoological
> > taxonomy. In 2013 approximately  a quarter of all published  > animal
> > names were published in Zootaxa, but its impact factor in  the  > same
> > year was 1.060  >
> > http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/support/impactfactor.htm
> >  >
> >  > A mega journal for
> >  taxonomy is pretty much exactly the wrong strategy  > to maximise
> > impact factor.
> >  >
> >  So, if Zootaxa went from
> >  25% of all names to 100%, you're saying that  its impact factor would
> > DECREASE?
> >
> >  Also, while I see your point
> >  in terms of the status quo, are you not  among the people advocating
> > that scientific  names that are digitally  published get
> > automatically linked back to their original publications?
> >
> >  If this becomes common practice, will that  not mean that every time
> > a  scientific name  appears in print, it will *automatically* create a
> > trackable, quantifiable citation event? This is  more a matter of how
> > people track  citations, and is *also* presumably subject to change as
> > technology evolves. I admit that I assume it  will change to our
> > advantage, and in  precisely this way. Do you not see this happening?
> >
> >  Sincerely,
> >
> >  --
> >
> >  Doug Yanega      Dept. of Entomology
> >       Entomology Research Museum
> >  Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314
> >     skype: dyanega
> >  phone: (951)
> >  827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
> >                http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html
> >     "There are some enterprises
> >  in which a careful disorderliness
> >
> >     is the true method" - Herman Melville,  Moby Dick, Chap. 82
> >
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