[seqfan] Links and references in the OEIS, my policy

Neil Sloane njasloane at gmail.com
Sat Nov 30 17:26:48 CET 2019


Dear Sequence Fans,  There have been discussions among the editors that I
don't agree with, andI would like to make some comments:

Let me say a few things in regard to obscure references and links.

1. I have spent 55 years collecting references to sequences in books and
journals, so I do not like to see them removed.

2. If you live in a remote part of the world, your only chance
of getting something published may be in  (say) The Obscure Journal of
Mathematics, so do not reject a reference or link just because of the name
of the journal.

3. Replacing a reference by a link is not always a good thing. When the
link breaks, as it will sooner or later, the citation gets [broken link]
added.  Whereas the original reference could still be useful if you have
access to the right library.

3.1 That is why we keep references and links separate.

4. The primary purpose of the OEIS is to help people who want to know more
about a sequence.  If some sequence has come up in your work, even the most
obscure reference could have the formula or comment that you need.  When
you are desperate, you will grasp at any reference that mentions the
sequence.

Incidentally, articles by long-time contributors like Jason Earls should
not be removed, even if the link is broken. Of course the link is going to
be broken.  Every link is broken, and if it is not broken today it will be
soon. The Smarandache books and journals are full of interesting ideas.

5.  For the big entries, like the Catalan numbers, it would be nice if we
could get some knowledgeable - and tolerant - person to
group them into several sections:
   primary references for the basic theory and properties;
   historical references not on the first list;
   secondary references (including "broken links")

But whom could we trust to do that?

In short, *don't delete* *links or references,* and expect that all links
will be broken.


Best regards
Neil

Neil J. A. Sloane, President, OEIS Foundation.
11 South Adelaide Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904, USA.
Also Visiting Scientist, Math. Dept., Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
Phone: 732 828 6098; home page: http://NeilSloane.com
Email: njasloane at gmail.com



More information about the SeqFan mailing list