11 replies to this topic

[toejam]

hi guys,

as you all know, english is not my first language (one of my favourite chatup lines) but anyway, now I have a question that does not involve english as much, but it's more about italics rules.

I'm aware that scientific names must be italized, but does it also apply when you're only using the genus? e.g. Arabidopsis thaliana must be in italics, but most of the times I've seen Arabidopsis without them.

thanks in advance


tj.

[prabhubct]

are you talking about Arabidopsis thaliana or Arabidopsis? If genus and species are together then you have to make them italics in writing on notebook you have to underline them. I think only Genus name is written in non-italics.

see
http://arabidopsis.i...ion=arabidopsis

[toejam]

hi prabhubct, yeah, that's what I thought, that the genus is not normally writen in italics.

thing is I'm not sure if it is because Arabidopsis is the common name of the plant, e.g. tulip for Tulipia, or it is referred to the Genus. I'm asking because this was one of the corrections I have to make on my thesis, when I referred to the genus of my species I didn't put it in italics and one of the examiners asked me to change them all, but wanted to make sure.

thanks for your input.

[hobglobin]

At least in zoology (see INTERNATIONAL CODE OF ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE, Appendix B, General Recommendations) you also use italics for genus name alone. I wonder if it's different in botany. Underlined are such names when italics are not available such as typewriters (if people still know what it is).
My guess for the Arabidopsis Arabidopsis is that the researchers don't know it or don't care (such as some molecular biologists that give a damn for taxonomy and it's rules ).
> You should look in a good journal for botany regulations, how the authors do it there.

Edited by hobglobin, 10 September 2012 - 07:03 AM.

[hobglobin]

and as addendum: check out this: http://www.aspt.net/...ist_systbot.php :
"Font formatting in manuscript corresponds to that used in the journal (e.g., italics for genus and species names;...)."

[casandra]

we can also check this out: http://www.brandeis....monmistakes.pdf
it gave a pretty good explanation why the generic names of some common model organismssuch as Arabidopsis and Drosophila are not italicised when used alone.

[hobglobin]

But the common names for these are thale cress and fruit fly.

[casandra]

hobglobin, on 10 September 2012 - 09:11 AM, said:

But the common names for these are thale cress and fruit fly.

I guess not meant in this "common" names sense but more common tech sense such as in scientific publications etc.

[hobglobin]

casandra, on 10 September 2012 - 09:20 AM, said:

hobglobin, on 10 September 2012 - 09:11 AM, said:

But the common names for these are thale cress and fruit fly.

I guess not meant in this "common" names sense but more common tech sense such as in scientific publications etc.

well perhaps that's the difference between (molecular) biology that deals with very few model organisms in the lab and other biology fields that also remember and deals with other Drosophila and Arabidopsis species . I wonder if the journals where the first are publishing also accept the non-italics for model organisms.

[prabhubct]

Nowadays rules seems bit relaxed,


2001 Nature paper- http://www.nature.co...ull/nrg927.html

2012 Nature Paper - http://www.nature.co...dd2012114a.html

[casandra]

And this is in the set of  "Instructions for Authors", Plant Physiology journal:

Nomenclature. In the abstract, at first mention in the text, and in "Materials and Methods," include complete botanical names (genus, species, and, when appropriate, cultivar) for all experimental plants. Do NOT use the genus name alone, unless that is the accepted common name. Identify algae and microorganisms by a collection number or that of a comparable listing. Following first mentions, generic names should be abbreviated to the initial, except when confusion could arise by reference to genera with the same initial. Common names can be used after first mention. When the genus name is the accepted common name, the name should be in lowercase, roman type. Arabidopsis (no italics) is an accepted common name for A. thaliana.

@tj: you can definitely argue your point but in the end, you better just follow your reviewer"s suggestion....make your life easier...

Edited by casandra, 10 September 2012 - 10:00 AM.

[toejam]

thanks guys, I knew in the end I would have to change it to the style the examiner indicated, I just wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't completely wrong