I'm all in favor of (rational) length limits for the text - almost everybody's prose is easier to read when they've been forced to cut 10-20%. However, some journals include references in the character limit, and that just encourages unscholarly behavoir. Phoebe
===================================== Phoebe A. Rice Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology The University of Chicago phone 773 834 1723 http://bmb.bsd.uchicago.edu/Faculty_and_Research/01_Faculty/01_Faculty_Alphabetically.php?faculty_id=123 http://www.rsc.org/shop/books/2008/9780854042722.asp ---- Original message ---- >Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 06:16:48 -0600 >From: CCP4 bulletin board <CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK> (on behalf of Jacob Keller ><j-kell...@fsm.northwestern.edu>) >Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] Citations in supplementary material >To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK > >It seems to me that this problem is really a hold-over from compromise >with the exigencies of hard-copy publishing, i.e. a way to save >physical space. Further, there seem to be many aspects of >e-publication that have not adapted to the strengths/weaknesses of the >new medium, which could and should be remedied. One aspect is citation >format--why not capitalize on the luxury of having plenty of space? >Maybe even the abstracts could be included (why not?). Another thing I >mentioned in a previous email: why not remove length limitations? Let >the authors have the space they need to say what needs to be said! I >think EMBO actually espouses this idea, although I am not sure how far >they would go (I am pretty sure they do not limit number of >references, for example.) Anyway, it seems to be an interesting and >historical time in the publishing world. > >JPK > >On Sun, Nov 21, 2010 at 8:07 PM, Francois Berenger <beren...@riken.jp> wrote: >> Hello, >> >> For me the citation format is also a major problem. >> >> When the title of the paper is not shown, it really hinders the work >> of trying to find which references are worthwhile reading. >> I think it may even have a negative impact on the number of citations >> a paper get. >> >> I don't know if it has been solved in recent issues of IUCr journals, >> so please forgive me if this is an old and dead topic. >> >> Regards, >> Francois. >>
