The status of taxonomic literature

Taxonomic papers are not just pieces of scientific information. They are also ‘legal’ documents to the extent that they contain descriptions of new species and other acts ruled by international codes of nomenclature. As printed vouchers for these official acts, taxonomic papers last virtually for ever, whereas the variable survival rate of the average scientific paper is expected to be dependent on the quality of its content. Establishing an autonomous system for registration of nomenclatural acts, functionally linked to but materially independent from taxonomic literature, would put taxonomic papers on the same footing as other scientific papers and significantly increase their average quality and visibility.