Re: Private E-Pubs

[TomDeVrie@xxxxxxx]

In a few instances, the paleo community has already dealt with the modern
issuance of privately produced works.  Furthermore, I'll bet all those
naturalists of the 18th century would have had their privately-published work
up on the Web in a flash, had it been available.  I don't think anyone had
their work formally reviewed by their peers, yet we have no problem citing
Linne, Lamarck, etc.

The issue with privately produced Web pages, and updated Web pages, is not
their scientific validity or the awkwardness in citing them, but their
permanence.  Again, in my opinion, unless Web pages or electronic
publications, journal or otherwise, are distributed through predictable and
reliable sources (i.e., libraries and their Web pages), the electronic
material will have to carry some sort of special identifier in the same
category as personal communication, although as argued previously, a
designator such as "Internet communication, ...." would be better.