[vsnet-chat 4425] re Re: CDS workload

[crawl@zoom.co.uk]

At 15:35 06/05/01 -0700, Brian Skiff wrote:

>     I think they have in the past tried to get the journal editors in
>particular to insist that authors use acronyms consistent with the Lortet
et al
>dictionary, and the IAU nomenclature committee exists to do the same 
>with authors.  But basically very few people care (neither authors nor
>editors), and so the CDS folks basically gave up and have simply added 
>aliases as they appear in the literature.  Same thing happening in the
>extragalactic realm at NED, for whom I'm working half-time.  I can assure
>you that there are numerous recent papers where because the authors have
>not bothered with finding correct names, positions, or anything, and have
>not bothered to have a finding chart match up with an accompanying table of
>data, their scientific results (all that matters to them) are completely
>unrecoverable, and the paper is basically useless.  The authors are often
>unrepentant when you write to ask just where it is the objects they studied
>are located.

I know it sounds glib, but if it ain't repeatable, it ain't scientific, so
the above points are a bit amazing, especially re attitudes!

>     In brief, the biblio folks have learned to roll with the punches, but
>have been known to get papers to referee---whereupon they can exert some
>influence over what gets published.

Refereeing actually amazes may, as it seems to let so much pass as to be
almost pointless, on occasion, and woe betide you if your evidence is
contrary the theory promulgated by any of the referees' pals or fave raves!
 Peer review as opposed to peers review, maybes ;)

Mind you, I'm sure the biblio folk wouldn't be happy if they suffered a ton
of material to referee just because they had to check up on people.

>     Anyway, just ask Ochsenbein if he can check the consistency of the 
>acronym for the HBH/KW97 catalogue.  It may be that none of the stars has
>been cited yet anywhere in the literature, so there'd be no problem with
>assigning the name uniformly.

Okay, done that.

John

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