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We examined the effects of different types of collaboration on the citation rates of 837 research papers published in Oecologia from 1998 through 2000. Multiauthored papers had higher annual citation rates, but also higher self-citation rates, than single-authored papers. Interdisciplinary collaboration between institutions increased citation rates, whereas in-house collaboration reduced them. Contrary to our predictions, international collaboration had no effect on the citation rates of ecological papers, and US ecologists benefited from collaboration more than their European colleagues. Altogether, our results indicate that scientific collaboration in ecology has a rather minor effect on the impact of the resulting publications, as measured by their citation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the public sharing of biodiversity and ecology research data, focusing on a report by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) which called for public domain publishing of peer-reviewed biodiversity data papers. They address several issues raised by the GBIF proposal, including the interest of professional and citizen science researchers in sharing data, the availability of peer reviewers for data papers and related research papers, and costs of data publication.

The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) impact factor has become an important standard for assessing journal quality. Here we propose that impact factors may be subject to inflation analogous to changes in monetary prices in economics. The possibility of inflation came to light as a result of the observation that papers published today tend to cite more papers than those published a decade ago. We analyzed citation data from 75,312 papers from 70 ecological journals published during 1998-2007. We found that papers published in 2007 cited an average of seven more papers than those published a decade earlier. This increase accounts for about 80% of the observed impact factor inflation rate of 0.23. In examining the 70 journals we found that nearly 50% showed increases in their impact factors, but at rates lower than the background inflation rate. Therefore, although those journals appear to be increasing in quality as measured by the impact factor, they are actually failing to keep pace with inflation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the methods adopted to measure the quality of a science journal. The published contributions of a scientist or of a scientific community are measured in terms of quantity as well as quality. The number of publications by a scientist or scientific community is generally taken as the measure of quantity. Many research organizations and institutions have devised weighting systems to reflect these differences in forms of publication when assessing quantitatively the productivity of their members. It is recognized that there are considerable differences in the quality of published papers, even among those published in the same journal. It is also admitted that any manuscript reporting scientific research can get published, no matter what its quality is.

The article lists the new science books which includes "Anthropology and Human Nature," by Ashley Montagu, "The Rat: A Study in Behavior," by S. A. Barnett, and "The Design of Electric Circuits in the Behavioral Sciences," by Tom N. Cornsweet.

Information about the Fifth Forest Biology Conference, which was hosted by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 11-13, 1970, is presented. Topics discussed include silviculture, the effect of phosphorous on the slash and loblolly pine in the South Carolina coastal plain and the evaluation of the wood, fiber and paper properties. Speakers of the event include Bruce Zobel, J. J. Wiley and W. T. Gladstone.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the editorial reply to the proposal made by Peggy Finch on the use of recycled paper published in the December 15, 1971 issue.

Discusses biases toward citing scientific literature both before and after the widespread use of computerized databses for literature searches. Predictions and approaches; Citation patterns; Summary.

The article presents the history and status of the literature of mammalogy. It notes that the annual quantity of literature on mammalogy is increasing space with the general literature of science and is doubling approximately each 15 years. Also, the number of the authors per paper and the total number of author are increasing. It highlights that comparing with other zoological record, the journal of mammalogy lists the fewer titles per comparable year, but publishes 3 or more a year, sooner that does the record.

The article focuses on the study which attempts to employ curricular reformation in undergraduate biological education. The study is done through the use of two exercises, which are both part of a course in developmental biology at the University of Toledo. The first exercise is "Cytodifferentiation: Formation of Multinucleated Myotubes in vitro," in which students are asked to observe changes in the experimented cells. The second exercise is "Cell Aggregation: Formation of Multicellular Systems," in which students are asked to investigate one or two influences on aggregation. Through these exercises, the students were able to realize that more exercises should be adapted in other subjects as well for learning purposes.

A letter to the editor is presented on issues concerning an alternate assignment in a university course called "Case Studies in Environmental Problems" as an alternative to term papers.

Peer review is the standard that journals and granting agencies use to ensure the scientific quality of their publications and funded projects. The peer-review process continues to be criticized, but its actual effectiveness at ensuring quality has yet to be fully investigated. Here we use probability theory to model the peer-review process, focusing on two key components: (1) editors' prescreening of submitted manuscripts mid (2) the number of referees polled. The model shows that die review process coin include a strong "lottery" component, independent of editor and referee integrity. Focusing on journal publications, we use a Bayesian approach and citation data from biological journals to show that top journals successfully publish suitable papers--that is, papers that a large proportion of the scientific community would deem acceptable--by using a prescreening process that involves an editorial board and three referees; even if that process followed, about a quarter of published papers still may be unsuitable. The element of chance is greater if journals engage only two referees and do no prescreening (or if only one editor prescreens); about half of the papers published in those journals may be unsuitable, Furthermore, authors whose manuscripts were initially rejected ca, significantly boost their chances of being published by resubmitting their papers to other journals. We make three key recommendations to ensure the integrity of scientific publications in journals: (1) Use art editor or editorial board to prescreen ant remove manuscripts of low suitability; (2) use a three-of three or four-of-four decision ride when deciding on paper acceptance; and (3) use a stricter decision rule for resubmissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors share their view on the importance of cultural change in data publishing. They believe that a data paper is a proper mechanism to boost the publication of biodiversity data. They argued against the views expressed by X. Huang and colleagues on the use of data paper to publish biodiversity data. Several reasons on why the authors prefer the publication of a data paper including the mobilization of data and making available a data set along with other details were noted.

Presents a letter to the editor about BioScience changing to nonrecyclable paper.

The article lists several books on life sciences which include "Microbiology of Aerial Plant Surfaces," by C. H. Dickinson and T. F. Preece, "Tropical Pulses," by J. Smartt and "RNA Polymerase," by R. Losick and M. Chamberlin.

Discusses research which observed the practice of stuffing male wasps into empty nest cells in a colony of paper wasps. Male wasps forced to remain in cells; Research by Starks and Poe in October 2, 1997 edition of `Nature'; Details about male stuffing; Composition of wasp colonies; Roles of particular wasps; Purpose of stuffing.

The article explores on the simple procedure for processing event recorder data. The strip chart device called event recorder reads the state of an electrical switch with reference to time used in various studies is said to require a long to process the gathered data. According to the author, the usual procedure uses scissors to cut the strip charts into segments representing the desired time base which is tedious. He suggests the use of a stapler and paper cutter as an alternative for collecting the gathered data.

The article offers information on various developments related to the field of biosciences. It reports the appointments made by several biological societies including the Biological Photographic Association Inc., and the American Fisheries Society, and mentions the names of the appointees including Laurence B. Brown, William L. M. Martinsen, and John S. Gottschalk. It mentions the Gifford Pinchot Medal awarded to Ralph Sheldon Hosmer by the Society of American Foresters, and discusses the topics of the research papers that have been awarded with the George R. Cooley Award for the best paper.

This section presents a list of books on biological science, including Antipredator Defenses in Birds and Mammals, by Tim Caro.

A list of books about biosciences is presented including "Advances in Cancer Research," vol. 15, edited by George Klein and Sidney Weinhouse; "The Biology of the Cell Cycle," by J. M. Mitchison; and "Drug Design," vol. 2, edited by E. J. Ariens.

The article offers information on the American Society of Animal Science which was founded in 1908 as the American Society of Animal Nutrition to improve the quality of investigation in animal nutrition and to promote systematic and correlated study of feeding problems. It states that in 1961, its name was changed to American Society of Animal Science because of the emphasis of interest on the scientific aspects of animal production. It mentions that the Society has attempted to serve its membership through publication of research papers presented at its annual meetings, and "Journal of Animal Science" is its major publication. It mentions that the business of the Society is transacted through an executive committee which includes the president, vice president and secretary-treasurer.

The article comments on the role of dissertation in training biologists. It reflects that professional advancement in academia commonly depends upon the ability to write scientific papers. It informs that changes in dissertation style can provide relevant preparation for acquiring writing skills. It is noted that dissertation has never established itself as a useful tool in scientific communication.

Presents a list of books on biological science.

The article lists several new books including "The Soybean," edited by A.G. Norman, "Animal Species and Evolution," by Ernst Mayr and "Chemistry of Life," by Katherine B. Hoffman.

Lists paperback books related to science. 'Advances in Bioprocessing Engineering,' edited by Xiusheng Harrison Yang and Juming Tang; 'Agency, Democracy, and Nature: The US Environmental Movement from a Critical Theory Perspective,' by Robert J. Brulle; 'Bacterial Disease Mechanisms: An Introduction to Cellular Microbiology,' by Michael Wilson, Rob McNab and Brian Henderson.

The increasing number of scientific publications has made bibliographic search engines essential tools in all disciplines. These software-based devices, however, are far from perfect. Comparisons of software-based bibliographic search engines with complete lists of three authors' publications showed that reference citations were not generally available before 1970. and that the effectiveness of recovery was improving but was quite variable, yielding on average 36 percent of the publications. There was marked year-to-year inconsistency in the recovery of titles. The inconsistency could not be explained by differences in indexing due to journal reputation: there was no evident relationship between search effectiveness and journal impact factor, but the percentage of recovered citations was higher for indexed journals. Search engines are widely used in bibliographic searches performed for evaluating researchers, awarding promotions, or assessing journal performance. Given the ineffectiveness of search engines, their use in making such important personal and institutional decisions needs careful consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's comments about researchers who write biomedical literature. The author says that these researchers are in the middle of a crisis. According to him, they are publishing the same information many times. He says that the quality of the literature may decrease in the future. He adds that the researchers write more literature to secure government grants and get academic promotion.

The article lists books including "Mathematical Ecology," by E.C. Pielou, "The Biology of Marsupials" edited by Don Hunsaker II and "Biochemical Insect Control: Its Impact on Economy, Environment, and Natural Selection," by M. Sayeed Quraishi.

A list of books on bioscience including "The Pathogenic Anaerobic Bacteria," 2nd ed., by Louis D.S. Smith, "Viruses Causing Common Respiratory Infections in Man," by George Gee Jackson and Robert Lee Muldoon and "Breeding Birds of North Dakota," by Robert E. Stewart is presented.

A list of new book titles as of October 2007 is presented including "Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction," edited by David A. Liberies, "Biodiversity Under Threat," edited by R. E. Hester and R. M. Harrison, and "Biological Emergences: Evolution by Natural Experiment," by Robert G. B. Reid.

Presents a list of books about natural science. "Cases in Human Parasitology," Judith S. Heelan; "DNA Sequencing: Optimizing the Process and Analysis," edited by Jan Kieleczawa; "From Apocalypse to Way of Life," by Frederick Buell; "Global Warming: The Complete Briefing," 3rd ed., edited by John Houghton.

The article presents a list of books related to biological science. The books include "Banana Cultures: Agriculture, Consumption, and Environmental Change in Honduras and the United States," by John Soluri, "Biofilms, Infection, and Antimicrobial Therapy," edited by John L. Pace, Mark E. Rupp and Roger G. Finch and "Catalyzing Inquiry at the Interface of Computing and Biology," edited by John C. Wooley and Herbert S. Lin.

Theory structure can be defined in a simple, useful form, and most theories taught in biology have a simple structure. Teaching can be promoted by identifying the postulates underlying a biological theory. Some suggestions and some postulate lists are given for those who wish to test for themselves my contention that concisely listed postulates are an aid to learning and understanding. (Accepted for publication 5 February 1982) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lists books on biological sciences. 'Acidic Precipitation. vol. 5. International Overview and Assessment' edited by A.H.M. Bresser and W. Salomons; 'Activation and Desensitization of Transducing Pathways,' edited by T.M. Konijn and others; 'African Birds of Prey,' by P. Pickford and B. Pickford.

The article lists the books related to biosciences which includes "Migration and Homing in Animals--Zoophysiology and Ecology," Vol. 6, by Klaus Schmidt-Koenig, "The Ecology of Man: An Ecosystem Approach," 2nd ed., by Robert Leo Smith, and "Plant Biology," by Knut Norstog and Robert W. Long.

The article lists several science books including "The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation," by Daniel J. Lebbin, Michael J. Parr, and George H. Fenwick, "Beyond Cladistics: The Branching of a Paradigm," edited by David M. Williams and Sandra Knapp, and "Climate Savvy: Adapting Conservation and Resource Management to a Changing World," by Lara J. Hansen and Jennifer R. Hoffman.

The article lists several science books including "Astrobiology of Earth: The Emergence, Evolution, and Future of Life on a Planet in Turmoil," by Joseph Gale, "Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution," by Thomas N. Sherratt and David M. Wilkinson, " and "Cognitive Biology: Evolutionary and Developmental Perspectives on Mind, Brain, and Behavior," edited by Luca Tommasi, Mary A. Peterson, and Lynn Nadel.

The article lists books on biological science including "The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide," by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean, "Cockroaches: Ecology, Behavior, and Natural History," by William J. Bell, Louis M. Roth, and Christine A. Nalepa, and "The Conservation Professional's Guide to Working With People," by Scott A. Bonar.

The article presents a list of books related to biological diversity. These include "The AFS Guide to Fisheries Employment, 2nd edition," edited by David A. Hewitt, William E. Pine III, and Alexander V. Zale, "The Alligator Snapping Turtle," edited by Peter C. H. Pritchard, and "The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History," by Molly Caldwell Crosby.

Presents a list of books on biosystems. 'Achieving Sustainable Freshwater Systems: A Web of Connections,' edited by Marjorie M. Holland, et al; 'Bat Ecology,' edited by Thomas H. Kunz; 'Conservation, Ecology, and Management of African Fresh Waters,' by Thomas L. Crispman, et al.

A list of new books on biology, including "All Creatures: Naturalists, Collectors, and Biodiversity, 1850-1950," by Robert E. Kohler, is presented.

Lists a number of books on biology. 'Advances in Lectin Research,' edited by H. Franz; 'Annual Review of Microbiology,' edited by L.N. Ornston, A. Balows and E.P. Greenberg; 'Aquatic Bioenvironmental Studies: The Hanford Experience,' edited by C.D. Becker; 'Avian Foraging: Theory, Methodology, and Applications,' edited by M.L. Morrison, C.J. Ralph and J.R. Jehl Jr.

A bibliography of life science books is presented which includes "Air Plants: Epiphytes and Aerial Gardens," by David H. Benzing, "Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know," by Jose Goldemberg, and "The Puffin," by Mike P. Harris and Sarah Wanless.