Official ISHPSSB Announcement: Questionnaire concerning HP
-----Mensaje original-----
De: Intl Soc for the Hist Phil and Soc St of Biol
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]En nombre de Roberta L. Millstein
Enviado el: Jueves, 11 de Agosto de 2005 09:26 p.m.
Para: [log in to unmask]
Asunto: Official ISHPSSB Announcement: Questionnaire concerning HPLS
Listserv for the International Society
for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology
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To the Society Membership:
Shortly before the Guelph meeting in July, the Council was presented with
the opportunity for ISHPSSB to assume the editorship and joint sponsorship
of the journal History and Philosophy of Life Science, published by the
Stazione Zoologica in Naples and printed by Taylor and Francis. This
venerable journal of the Stazione will cease publication at the end of 2005
unless additional funding and personnel support is found.
The opportunity for affiliation arose from discussions between the
Stazione and the leadership of ISHPSSB in the spring of 2005. As a result
of the open discussion of this opportunity at the general business meeting
at Guelph, an ad hoc committee of Council and non -Council members has been
appointed to survey the Society for its opinion on this matter. Due to the
need for a rapid decision on this matter if the journal is to maintain
publication continuity beyond December 2005, we have been asked to have a
report based upon membership opinions ready for the Council by
mid -September when major decisions will be made on the future of the
journal by the Stazione Zoologica. Please return your questionnaire
promptly so that your opinion can be taken into consideration.
Discussion of the financial obligations implied by this arrangement have
been conducted within the Council. If ISHPSSB assumes this responsibility,
it will entail a contribution from the Society of approximately
$12,500/year. The Treasurer of the Society has assured the Council that
these funds are available. With our support, the Naples Laboratory will
continue to support the journal at a rate of 20,000 Euros for at least two
years and it will supply staff assistance. The Society and the Stazione will
make joint appointment of the Advisory and Editorial Boards. It is also
understood that with ISHPSSB commitment, the Stazione would likely continue
its support indefinitely.
If approved, the Society will commit itself to a two-year joint leadership
of the journal. However, it should be assumed that this will likely entail
a longer-term commitment with the assumption that HPLS will serve as the
journal officially sponsored by the Society, similar to the relationship
that Isis has to the History of Science Society. It will be made part of
the membership packet of the Society, with an increase in annual dues after
06-07 of $20 for the first two year cycle, increasing after this to a final
projected cost of $90 per two year cycle (i.e. $45/year). HPLS is
considered to be a fully international journal and it currently has a
substantial subscription base. It also has published in languages other
than English. If the society does assume leadership of HPLS, its venue and
title would also be expanded to include the social studies of biology.
Some of the pros and cons of this arrangement discussed within Council or
at the Society Business Meeting are summarized:
Advantages of Affiliation with HPLS:
* It provides additional visibility for the Society within an
international scientific and scholarly community with a regular publication.
In addition, it creates an additional outlet for papers presented at ISHPSSB
meetings beyond those now provided by the Journal of the History of Biology,
Biology & Philosophy, and Studies in History and Philosophy of the
Biological and the Biomedical Sciences, especially collections from a
session that fit particularly well together.
* HPLS is a recognized journal with a long history and a substantial
subscriber list. Affiliation with HPLS would preserve and revitalize a
significant international journal, one that many members of ISHPSSB consider
to be the main outlet for their work, and it would emphasize the
international dimension to ISHPSSB.
* HPLS can develop an editorial policy that clearly differentiates it
from existing journals with which it might be seen as a direct competitor.
It will also incorporate the "social studies of science" somehow into its
title ( e.g. History, Philosophy and Social Studies of the Life Sciences).
To demarcate it from B&P, JHB, and Studies, preference will be given to
interdisciplinary work- for example, by emphasizing collaborative papers by
authors from different disciplines, something no other journal in the field
explicitly promotes.
* It is much easier and less expensive in today's difficult publishing
environment for the Society to assume an existing journal rather than to
establish a new one. The journal could also incorporate the semi-annual
Newsletter, hence saving those publication costs as a separate item (ca. $
4,000 annually)
Disadvantages of Society Responsibility for HPLS:
* A sponsored journal will be a standing expense to the Society, and it
will require a membership fee increase (above).
* Once leadership is assumed, the Society will assume major
responsibility for this journal, although the present proposal would provide
a disassociation clause in two years. This will mean additional work for the
Council in directing the journal.
* HPLS has declined in subscriptions and reputation in recent years. It
will take sustained effort to reverse this trend and restore it to its
former position in the ranks of top-line publications.
* Although it is desirable to have a multi-language journal reflecting our
international membership, the publishers under discussion are strongly
against multi-language publication. The impact of moving to an English-only
format on its subscription base is unknown.
You are asked to review these pros and cons and respond to the following
questionnaire.
Thank you
Ad Hoc Committee on Publication:
Phil Sloan (Notre Dame), Chair [log in to unmask]
Jason Baker (Indiana University, Grad Student Representative.
[log in to unmask]
Kathy Cooke (Quinnipiac University) [log in to unmask]
Soraya de Chadarevian (Cambridge Univ & MPI) [log in to unmask]
Astrid Juette (Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition
Research) [log in to unmask]
Staffan Müller-Wille (Exeter) [log in to unmask]
Lynn Nyhart (Wisconsin) [log in to unmask]
Edna Suarez (UNAM, Mexico) [log in to unmask]
MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONNAIRE:
PLEASE COMPLETE THIS E-MAIL QUESTIONNAIRE AND RETURN IT BY MIDNIGHT
PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME SATURDAY AUGUST 20 TO PHIL SLOAN AT [log in to unmask] If
you wish to preserve anonymity in your response, you may detach and mail the
Questionnaire to Phil Sloan, Program of Liberal Studies, 215 O'Shaughnessy
Hall, University of Notre Dame 46556. The mail Questionnaire must be
postmarked by August 20. You may also send your response as an attached
document without your name indicated. Please send these in MS Word format or
in Rich Text Format if using other word processors.
1. Should the Society sponsor a journal? (This need not be HPLS.)
__ X __ Approve
____Disapprove
If (1) is affirmative:
2. Should the official journal of the Society be HPLS?
__ X __Approve
____Disapprove
If (2) is affirmative:
3. Do you agree to an English-only publication policy?
_____Approve
___ X __Disapprove
Other Comments (Brief)
It is a great opportunity to move the Society in the right,
international, open, inclusive, direction!
Carlos López Beltrán
Please return by the end of the day PDT, August 20
*** End of announcement
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Professor Roberta L. Millstein
Listserv Moderator, International Society for
History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology
<http://www.ishpssb.org/>
Listserv archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/ishpsb-l.html
Snail mail:
Department of Philosophy
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Hayward)
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Email: <[log in to unmask]>
Phone: 510-885-3546
Fax: 510-885-2123
Web: http://www.RLM.net/