This question hits dead on the central single most important function of
refereed journals. It is the journals and their editors, boards, referees, and
publishers that guarantee the integrity of the record, the 'archive of science,'
or the 'minutes of science'. And copyright is the legal underpinning of this.
That is why the author of a scientific research paper is the last person who
should keep the copyright after it is accepted in a refereed journal. By
submitting the paper for publication in such a journal the author in effect
submits an 'affidavit' that 'this is what I have discovered at this time'. The
author should not be in a position to be able to change the final version
accepted by the journal; supply later separate errata, addenda, corrigenda, etc,
OK, but change the original, absolutely not; anymore than you can change a
patent document once granted.. That would undermine a central function of the
journal enterprise.
______________________________________________________________________
A. W. Kenneth (Ken) Metzner, PhD
Vice-President and Director of Electronic Publishing
Academic Press, a Harcourt Science & Technology Company
525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego CA 92101-4495
tel. 619-699-6830, fax -6580, email: kmetzner at acad.com
URLs: http://www.academicpress.com,http://www.idealibrary.com
______________________________________________________________________
forsdyke <forsdyke at post.queensu.ca> on 04/14/99 07:05:17 AM
Please respond to forsdyke at post.queensu.ca
