The January 24 print edition of Nature is reporting the recent launch of Answers Research Journal, a free online journal for the “publication of interdisciplinary scientific and other relevant research from the perspective of the recent Creation and the global Flood within a biblical framework”.
As the many comments made by readers of the story on the Nature News website suggest, the mere existence of such a journal will be divisive. That is, of course, if anyone actually pays it any attention after the hoopla surrounding its launch dies down.
Hi Pete,
‘But those without a science background, including some policy-makers, may not be able to judge the difference in value of a paper in ARJ and a genuine scientific journal.’
Therein, I think, lies the crux.
Hi Lee,
I definitely agree with you – those without a science background may indeed be at a disadvantage when attempting to evaluate a paper in ARJ versus as paper in a (for want of a better word) “mainstream” journal. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much that can be done about this.
However, as a little experiment, I’m in the process of reading through the latest ARJ paper, one written by the journal’s editor. The topic is geology – something I know very little about – and I’m trying to see whether, as a non-geologist, there’s really anything in the paper that might make a non-scientist conclude that there is something genuinely “scientific” on offer within the paper. I’m planning on writing at least one blog entry on the outcome of my reading within the next couple of days, so stay tuned.