e-Publication of Plant Names using standards

1. e-Publicationof Plant Names using standards Arthur D. Chapman Australian Biodiversity Information Services Toowoomba, Australia TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

2. The current state • The International Code for Botanical Nomenclature • Allows publication only in hard copy • If electronic • Mandatory that hard copies placed in 2 libraries • Recommended hard copies placed in 10 libraries • Only the hard copies regarded as effectively published TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

3. The Code • 29.1. Publication is effected, under this Code, only by distribution of printed matter (through sale, exchange, or gift) to the general public or at least to botanical institutions with libraries accessible to botanists generally. It is not effected by communication of new names at a public meeting, by the placing of names in collections or gardens open to the public, by the issue of microfilm made from manuscripts, typescripts or other unpublished material, or solely by distribution electronically or through any electronic medium. TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

4. The need • Many new electronic journals publishing names • Currently producing limited paper copies • Cost of hard copy journals • cost of publishing • cost to author • cost of subscription • Liklihood of bypassing the Code • Code has no legislative basis • e-Journals allow for inclusion of additional information (spreadsheets, specimens cited, high quality images, interactive keys, etc.) • Code should not be an impediment to taxonomy or science generally. TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

5. Some existing e-Journals • Biota Neotropica (http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/) • published in Brazil • peer-reviewed papers • open access • three languages (English, Portuguese, and Spanish) • XML indexing of names • PLoS ONE (http://www.plosone.org/) • interactive, • open-access • peer-reviewed • scientific and medical research. • Phytotaxa (http://www.mapress.com/phytotaxa/) • peer-reviewed • international • papers on any aspect of systematic botany • preference for large taxonomic works • open-access and subscription-only papers. TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

6. The process • Special Committee on Electronic Publication • 26 members • Meets electronically (Google Groups) • Makes recommendations • Report published in Journal - Taxon • Need 25% of Postal vote of members of IAPT* • Must be accepted at nomenclature session of IBC^ (Melbourne 2011) • If passed - starting date is 1 January 2013 * International Association for Plant Taxonomists ^ International Botanical Congress TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

7. Key issues • Discovery • for an electronic document to be discoverable • Immutability • for an electronic publication to be unchangeable after it is first issued • Archiving • for an electronic document to be discoverable and readable many decades or centuries to come TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

8. Committee deliberation • Committee believed • most of the key issues could be solved through use of ISO standards • there is a reality that some issues would not be accepted • Registration of names (as in Bacteria) previously rejected • peer review could not be mandated • open source laudable but not enforceable in Code TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

9. Standards recommended • PDF (Portable Document Format) • ISO/IEC 32000-1:2008 • based on Adobe PDF Version 7 • specifies a digital form for representing electronic documents to enable users to exchange and view electronic documents independent of the environmentin which they were created or the environment in which they are viewed or printed. • open source • internal metadata (in XML) – can be enhanced through RDF, Dublin Core, XML • Can include Digital Signatures • Recommended to be mandated as the form for effective publication TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

10. Standards recommended • PDF/A • ISO 19005-1:2005 • based on Adobe PDF Version 1.4 • a file format for long-term archiving of electronic documents • incorporates all metadata, fonts, etc. • i.e. everything needed to read a document long into the future • open source • platform independent • Can be written form large range of proprietary and open-source software (MS Word 7, OCR, Open Office, direct from XML, etc.) • earlier versions of MS Word (3 onwards) can save as PDF Version 1.4 which is PDF/A compliant. • Strongly recommended as the format for long-term archiving. TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

11. Standards recommended • ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) • ISO 3297-1975 • Assigned by network of national centres • Coordinated by International ISSN Centre in Paris • ISBN (International Standard Book Number) • ISO 2108-1970 • Assigned by network of national centres • Coordinated by International ISBN Agency in London • Recommended to be mandated as the form for effective publication TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

12. Archiving Committee recommends that: • Publishers and authors should ensure that effectively published electronic material is archived • the material should be placed in multiple online digital repositories; • digital repositories should be in more than one area of the world and preferably on different continents. TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

13. Some existing digital archives • (http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/) BHL is a consortium of 12 major natural history museum libraries, botanical libraries, and research institutions organized to digitize, serve, and preserve the legacy literature of biodiversity. • (http://www.bioone.org/) • BioOne is a global, not-for-profit collaboration that brings together scientific societies, publishers, and libraries to provide access to critical, peer-reviewed research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. • (http://www.scielo.br/) • The Scientific Electronic Library Online electronic library covering a selected collection of scientific journals. • (http://www.jstor.org/) • JSTOR is a not-for-profit, online system for storing academic journals TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

14. National Archives • The following countries have well-established national Web archiving programs in place or are actively pursuing relevant issues: • Australia • Austria • Canada • Czech Republic • Denmark • Finland • France • Germany • Japan • Lithuania • The Netherlands • New Zealand • Norway • Portugal • Sweden • United Kingdom • United States • Ref. National Library of Australia. Undated. PADI – Preserving Access to Digital Information. Published at http://www.nla.gov.au/padi/topics/92.html TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

15. Conclusion • Committee has finalised its report and submitted for publication • Part of key recommendation is that: Publication is effected by electronic distribution of material in Portable Document Format (PDF) in an online serial publication with an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN). TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole

16. Acknowledgements Acknowledgements to all members of the Committee Mary E. Barkworth (UTC), Bernard R. Baum (DAO), William R. Buck (NY), Katherine M. Challis (K), Arthur D. Chapman (Toowoomba, Australia), Laurence J. Dorr (US), Renée H. Fortunato (BAB), Susan Fraser (NY), Hugh F. Glen (NH), Martin J. Head (Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada), Elvira Hörandl (WU), Douglas Holland (MO), Victoria C. Hollowell (MO), Paul M. Kirk (IMI), Joseph H. Kirkbride, Jr. (NA), Sandra Knapp (BM), Pierre-André Loizeau (G), Karol Marhold (PRC/SAV), Tony Orchard (CANB), Peter Phillipson (MO/P), Peter A. Schäfer (MPU), Peter F. Stevens (MO), Nicholas J. Turland (MO), Mark F. Watson (Secretary, E), Karen L. Wilson (Convener, NSW), Richard H. Zander (MO). Ex Officio: John McNeill (E) Rapporteur-général of the Vienna and Melbourne Congresses Richard L. Pyle (Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.), representing the zoological community TDWG 2010 – Wood’s Hole