- Joined
- Apr 3, 2003
- Messages
- 1,136
Hi John
This is the only thing that will come up in the Physiology and Biology forum about which I contribute information!
John, there is an element of "loose lips sink ships" in publishing, academic and other. This is probably why Steve sometimes says that he will later post something really interesting - or perhaps it is just to tease us! Something that no one has seen before is more desirable for a journal or news source. Scoops win!
Many people re-package an idea or an experiment or highlight different facets of it to publish more than one journal article (not journalism, but say, an academic journal) using data collected at the same time. A way to combine the prestige of a journal article with the oomph of more general press is to issue a press release on the day the article appears or someone gives a talk at a conference. In that case, the journal is the de facto first place it appears, and would usually offer far more depth and accuracy than more general media.
You are absolutely correct that it is the responsibility of the peer reviewers to maintain scientific standards. This is not only to protect against "hoaxes" (obfuscating jargon being used to pull one over on editors) but also to judge whether the researcher used appropriate measures, didn't confuse correlation with causation, checked all their numbers, and so on. But all this is also the responsibility of the author - it's not good to get a reputation for submitting crap work.
Academic writing is not a place where good writing is valued over content. I find myself in the regrettable position of having to edit things in such a way as to remove a writer's style! Sometimes the format of the publication trumps good writing, and that is a pity.
My idea - which is probably really different from whatever may result - of a TONMO production would straddle different spheres, with a certain amount of science written for the layperson, links to more in-depth articles so as to offer laypeople the opportunity to read more, and maybe some less scientific pieces from home aquarists and items that could fall under Culture and Entertainment. It wouldn't fit into any publishing categories, but it would reflect what TONMO community members might enjoy.
I hope this wasn't more than you wanted to know!
Melissa
This is the only thing that will come up in the Physiology and Biology forum about which I contribute information!
John, there is an element of "loose lips sink ships" in publishing, academic and other. This is probably why Steve sometimes says that he will later post something really interesting - or perhaps it is just to tease us! Something that no one has seen before is more desirable for a journal or news source. Scoops win!
Many people re-package an idea or an experiment or highlight different facets of it to publish more than one journal article (not journalism, but say, an academic journal) using data collected at the same time. A way to combine the prestige of a journal article with the oomph of more general press is to issue a press release on the day the article appears or someone gives a talk at a conference. In that case, the journal is the de facto first place it appears, and would usually offer far more depth and accuracy than more general media.
You are absolutely correct that it is the responsibility of the peer reviewers to maintain scientific standards. This is not only to protect against "hoaxes" (obfuscating jargon being used to pull one over on editors) but also to judge whether the researcher used appropriate measures, didn't confuse correlation with causation, checked all their numbers, and so on. But all this is also the responsibility of the author - it's not good to get a reputation for submitting crap work.
Academic writing is not a place where good writing is valued over content. I find myself in the regrettable position of having to edit things in such a way as to remove a writer's style! Sometimes the format of the publication trumps good writing, and that is a pity.
My idea - which is probably really different from whatever may result - of a TONMO production would straddle different spheres, with a certain amount of science written for the layperson, links to more in-depth articles so as to offer laypeople the opportunity to read more, and maybe some less scientific pieces from home aquarists and items that could fall under Culture and Entertainment. It wouldn't fit into any publishing categories, but it would reflect what TONMO community members might enjoy.
I hope this wasn't more than you wanted to know!
Melissa