Subject: Re: [IFETS-DISCUSS] Creating a public bibliographic database.
From: Thompson, Errol (E.L.Thompson@MASSEY.AC.NZ)
Date: Sat 24 May 2003 - 01:51:59 MEST
Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 11:51:59 +1200 From: "Thompson, Errol" <E.L.Thompson@MASSEY.AC.NZ> Subject: Re: [IFETS-DISCUSS] Creating a public bibliographic database.
Two things here Michael.
On the concept of knowledge and knowlede capture.
Your system provides another potential mechanism for potential public discussion and argument of ideas. You allow readers to enter notes or annotations. If I recall correctly this doesn't lead to a discussion forum or to an ability to add to the page as in a Wiki. However, you do have the potential to be able to move to a discussion stage.
A system can never step into someone's mind and force them to debate or evuate their own ideas. In fact, we can not do that for each other. In reading Kaylyn's post, I felt this was an element of what she was saying. I am not sure that she is taking the Polanyi perspective of knowledge which I would summarise as you can't have knowledge without a person who knows that knowledge. from this perspective the idea of a knowlede capture system is impossible. It isn't knowledge but rather facts or information that when a person discoveres them might become knowledge for that person. I suppose what i am saying here is that you need to define your terminology woth respect to knowledge. can knowledge in your terms exist without a knower? If so how does it differ from other data that is not considereed as knowledge?
On bibliographic systems.
The Web of Science and the ACM portal are moving in the direction that you are talking about. They don't produce APA standard reference lists and I am not sure whether I can import them into endnote or Procite but they certainly have in the ability to follow the refrences chains to articles that a paper references or papers that reference an article. None of these databases are universal in that the carry every article. However, thet do provide mechanisms for researchers to explore the development of ideas by other authors from an article.
Errol Thompson
Massey University
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