We publish and host authors of appropriate works on avian diversity, taxonomy, and nomenclature. We consider that they have a lot of freedom, but we operate under some general editorial principles. We follow the biological species concept and often include subspecies (see Winker 2021). Scientific names must adhere to the Code (ICZN 1999). Scientific names that do not adhere to the ICZN will be corrected or removed. We will not accept purposely offensive names. Be fair to others, and do not be purposefully offensive. We encourage authors to document reasons if or when their list departs from others that might have geographic or taxonomic overlap.
Contact us: americanornithologistsunion@gmail.com
Our current model is open access, with copyright held by the authors (we recommend CC BY 4.0, which is summarized here).
Page charges: Our current model is open access. However, it was recently estimated that publishing and maintaining open access papers costs about $4000. We encourage authors to contribute to these page charges when they are able to.
Proposals for changes
If you would like to see changes made to a taxonomic list, we encourage proposals to be sent to the appropriate authors. Proposals for changes to our understanding of avian diversity (e.g., species limits, generic limits) need to be based on published information. We have not yet determined how proposals and decisions will be made as transparent as possible, but much of that will depend on authors and author groups.
For proposals to make name changes for cultural or ideological reasons (e.g., root out the ‘bad actors’ among eponymous names and eliminate particularly offensive terms), we expect robust scholarship. Proposals to change eponymous names represent justification for decommemorating someone who was commemorated in the past for their positive contributions, and they need to be treated fairly. Declarations of guilt by association are generally inadmissible. Avoid presentism and the historian’s fallacy. Treat others as you yourself would wish to be treated.
If a proposal’s quality falls short of enabling thorough, scholarly evaluation, it may be returned without review, perhaps with revisions suggested. (Not allowing this type of response to a proposal risks its voting outcome being not about the issue itself but rather something different, e.g., gaps in the proposal’s scholarship.)
Literature Cited
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) (1999) International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Fourth edition. ICZN, London.
Winker, K. 2021. An overview of speciation and species limits in birds. Ornithology 138: ukab006 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab006