[seqfan] Re: On editors-authors discussions

Charles Greathouse charles.greathouse at case.edu
Thu Sep 8 23:38:05 CEST 2011


> An editor raising this question is just doing his job.

Right, there's some part of the job that is like being a referee.
Also sometimes I write remarks for the benefit of the other editors:
maybe there's some aspect I see that isn't clear to others, or maybe I
just reassure someone that his decision is reasonable.

> In other words, when an editor asks "Why is this interesting?", this is not
> an invitation to reply via a message, but to add something to the sequence
> to answer the question.

Yes!  Precisely!  I've been looking for a wording that will suggest
that to people.  Often I write that and often people react defensively
to it.  I'm not doubting its importance (though I might if there's no
response!), but merely asking an author to make what is obvious to
them clear for others.  You may know why the sixth difference of
Axxxxxx is remarkable, but your readers likely will not.

> On the other hand, I think editors do sometimes fall into the trap of
> thinking "I don't understand this, so it's nonsense." Sometimes it is
> nonsense, but sometimes it's just poorly written. It is important to figure
> out which.

Yes, it's hard.  This is another reason to favor explanations of why a
sequence is interesting/important/special.  Just as programs can
clarify the definition of a sequence when it is unclear, comments can
clarify the meaning of a sequence when it's not evident from the name.

Charles Greathouse
Analyst/Programmer
Case Western Reserve University

On Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 4:08 PM,  <franktaw at netscape.net> wrote:
> The editors are not there only to help authors. It is also part of the
> editors' responsibility to decide whether a sequence belongs in the OEIS at
> all. An editor raising this question is just doing his job.
>
> One thing many contributors don't seem to realize is that sequences in the
> database will be accessed by people who are not familiar with the context in
> which it arose. This means that any interesting aspects of the sequence need
> to be identified in the sequence itself. This can be directly, or by a
> reference to another sequence, a web page, or a mathematical or scientific
> paper.
>
> In other words, when an editor asks "Why is this interesting?", this is not
> an invitation to reply via a message, but to add something to the sequence
> to answer the question.
>
> On the other hand, I think editors do sometimes fall into the trap of
> thinking "I don't understand this, so it's nonsense." Sometimes it is
> nonsense, but sometimes it's just poorly written. It is important to figure
> out which.
>
> Franklin T. Adams-Watters
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vladimir Shevelev <shevelev at bgu.ac.il>
>
> I am sure that the editor-author discussion should have a constructive
> character, when an editor really helps to the author. In my opinion, a
>  destructive discussion begins from phrases " it should be 260 characters",
> "it
> is similar to a project which is not ready for OEIS", "your sequence has too
> many zeros," "is, really, your sequence for OEIS?", etc. Such a "help" is
> extremely unpleasant for the author. By the way, we know that the author
> should
> submit at least 3-4 terms (he is not always a programmer), that the number
> of
> zeros at the beginning of a sequence does not indicate whether it is
> interesting, that it is very nice if a scientific project is accompanied by
> the
> sending of well defined new sequences to OEIS, etc. It is very pleasant,
> when
> the submitted sequence is extended by the editor, when he discusses about
> the
> improvements of  the title, definition, comment or formula. Our joint work
> is
> very important for the further development of OEIS.
>
>
> Best regards,
> Vladimir
>
>
> Shevelev Vladimir‎
>
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