28 February 2008

Mr. Stuart Ashman
New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
407 Galisteo St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Dear Mr. Ashman-

         In reference to the publishing policy of the New Mexico Museum of
Natural History and Science Bulletins it has been stated in a widely
circulated letter by Norman J. Silberling that "The Bulletin's current
review process is not really much different from that used by many other
research institutions and agencies that produce in-house publications. The
complainants assertion, repeated again and again by them, that NMMNH&S
Bulletin papers lack adequate technical review is simply not true, as can be
demonstrated by reading the acknowledgements included in Bulletin articles.
Moreover, using in-house reviewers for articles by qualified in-house staff
members, is not necessarily a bad thing, because by and large a reviewer who
is an associate and friend of the author(s) will not want to see the
author(s) do something dumb."

         In point of fact policies at other institutions are much different.
Dr. Robert Voss who chairs the publication committee for our own
publications Novitates and Bulletin (both referenced by the Scientific
Citation Index and one of the oldest and largest museum publication series)
states that "Manuscripts submitted by AMNH staff researchers (curators,
curators emeriti, postdocs, and graduate students) are subjected to
anonymous peer review by outside (non-AMNH) referees following standard
procedures in the scholarly publishing community.  No in-house reviews of
staff-authored MSS are ever solicited or accepted by the editors." [email
correspondence to MAN 2/28]   I hope that this clears up any confusion
regarding at least our editorial policy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Norell
Curator of Fossil
Paleontology