Re: publication

[Stan Friesen <swf@ElSegundoCA.NCR.COM>]

>From: "Considine, Blaise" <BPC.APA@email.apa.org>
 > 
 > Does palentology have anything along the lines of peer review before 
 > findings are published, or is the rush to claim one's discovery so 
 > overwhelming that situations such as this protoavis arise?

It has peer review, and the Protoavis paper *was* peer reviewed.
Peer review is not intended to weed out all incorrect papers, only
nearly worthless ones.

The fact is that a find lke this must be examined by several people
before it can be properly evaluated.  To get it in the open for
examination it must first be published, so in cases of doubt,
or of uncertainty, it is held better to publish in order to allow
public examination of the evidence.

And, the paper is not without merit.  It does discuss the
specimens and the provenence in some detail.  This is a good
basis for beginning the discussion.

swf@elsegundoca.ncr.com         sarima@netcom.com

The peace of God be with you.