Page 48 - How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Edition 8th Edition

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America, this problem is not an easy one for computers (or for their programmers).

In addition, many computerized library catalogs and literature retrieval systems are based on the principle of
truncation. Thus, one does not need to key in a long title or even a whole name; time is saved by shortening
(truncating) the entry. But, if one types in "Day, RA," for example, a screen will appear showing all of the Rachel
Days, Ralph Days, Raymond Days, etc., but not Robert A. Day. Therefore, the use of initials rather than first names
can cause trouble.

In general, scientific journals do not print either degrees or titles after authors' names. (You know what "B.S." means.
"M.S." is More of the Same. "Ph.D." is Piled Higher and Deeper. "M.D.'' is Much Deeper.) However, most medical
journals do give degrees after the names. Titles are also often listed in medical journals, either after the names and
degrees or in footnotes on the title page. Even in medical journals, however, degrees and titles (Dr., for example) are
not given in the Literature Cited. Contributors should consult the journal's Instructions to Authors or a recent issue
regarding preferred usage.

If a journal allows both degrees and titles, perhaps a bit of advertising might be allowed also, as suggested by the
redoubtable Leo Rosten (1968):

Dr. Joseph Kipnis—Psychiatrist
Dr. Eli Lowitz—Proctologist
Specialists in Odds and Ends.
Dr. M. J. Kornblum and Dr. Albert Steinkoff,
Obstetricians 24 Hour Service . . . We Deliver.

Listing the Addresses
The rules of listing the addresses are simple but often broken. As a result, authors cannot always be connected with
addresses. Most often, however, it is the style of the journal that creates confusion, rather than sins of commission or
omission by the author.

With one author, one address is given (the name and address of the laboratory in which the work was done). If, before
publication, the author has moved to a different address, the new address should be indicated in a "Present Address"
footnote.

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When two or more authors are listed, each in a different institution, the addresses should be listed in the same order as
the authors.

The primary problem arises when a paper is published by, let us say, three authors from two institutions. In such
instances, each author's name and address should include an appropriate designation such as a superior a, b, or c after
the author's name and before (or after) the appropriate address.
This convention is often useful to readers who may want to know whether R. Jones is at Yale or at Harvard. Clear
identification of authors and addresses is also of prime importance to several of the secondary services. For these
services to function properly, they need to know whether a paper published by J. Jones was authored by the J. Jones
of Iowa State or the J. Jones of Cornell or the J. Jones of Cambridge University in England. Only when authors can be
properly identified can their publications be grouped together in citation indexes.

Purposes

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