[meteorite-list] Re: Clowns . was Self Proclaimed Pairings Issues (SPPI)

From: Jeff Grossman <jgrossman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon May 8 09:49:45 2006
Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.2.20060508093253.02808e70_at_usgs.gov>

Peer review often does not take the form of majority opinion. If
only one person on a panel finds a "fatal" or other serious flaw, the
person serving as Editor (i.e., Judge) may ask for revision or even
reject a submission. It depends on what is wrong.

No, I don't think there is such a thing as incontrovertible
data. Some observations do not stand the test of time for
reproducibility. Other data may be the result of a poorly done
experiment and so may have little value (something that may be caught
during peer review). It is true that a contribution to the Bulletin
or other publication may be rejected for a reason other than the
quality of the data (e.g., the analysis of olivine was done properly,
but the classification was not). In this case, it may be unfortunate
that the data themselves don't make it into print. But usually, in
the case of the Bulletin, these situations can be resolved by a short
interval in which revisions are made by the submitter.

Jeff

At 09:20 AM 5/8/2006, Gary K. Foote wrote:
>Thanks for responding Jeff,
>
>I understand... 'Two minds are better than one'. Jury-of-peers
>majority [? or other than
>majority?] opinion based on specific standards. Comparative
>conclusions tallied up, so
>to speak.
>
>Knowing I am new to meteorites and am still learning, does this
>strike you, or anybody
>else, as 'looser' than it should be? Should not there be emperical
>data that is
>incontrovertible?
>
>Not arguing - just curious.
>
>Gary
>
>On 8 May 2006 at 8:26, Jeff Grossman wrote:
>
> > Although I'm staying out of this animated discussion, I will tackle
> > this question:
> >
> > All scientific publications are the subject of votes of a sort. It
> > is called the peer-review process. That is the kind of vote new
> > meteorite descriptions receive from the NomCom, which functions as a
> > scientific review panel. The vote answers the question: does this
> > research meet current scientific standards of methodology,
> > documentation, completeness, accuracy, reproducibility, and reporting
> > such that it can be published by the Meteoritical Society in the
> > Meteoritical Bulletin. These standards are defined both by the
> > current Committee members, all of whom have expertise in some aspect
> > of the field, and by the Guidelines for Meteorite Nomenclature, as
> > laid down by several generations of scientists over the last 30 years.
> >
> > A better question is, "What is the value of scientific study if the
> > outcome is NOT subject to peer review?" (By the way, when you quote
> > abstracts, keep in mind that these are not peer-reviewed. That
> > subject came up in this thread as well.)
> >
> > jeff
> >
> > At 07:54 AM 5/8/2006, Gary K. Foote wrote:
> > >Greg - not aiming this at you or anyone else. Just wondering what
> > >is the value of
> > >scientific study if the outcome is subject to a vote?
> > >
> > >Gary
> > >http://www.meteorite-dealers.com
> > >
> > >On 5 May 2006 at 21:57, Adam Hupe wrote:
> > >
> > > > Every multiple stone
> > > > classification sharing the same nomenclature was voted on and approved.
> > >
> > >______________________________________________
> > >Meteorite-list mailing list
> > >Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> > >http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
> >
> > Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman phone: (703) 648-6184
> > US Geological Survey fax: (703) 648-6383
> > 954 National Center
> > Reston, VA 20192, USA
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________
> > Meteorite-list mailing list
> > Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
>
>
>______________________________________________
>Meteorite-list mailing list
>Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
>http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list

Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman phone: (703) 648-6184
US Geological Survey fax: (703) 648-6383
954 National Center
Reston, VA 20192, USA
Received on Mon 08 May 2006 09:49:40 AM PDT