v5i2.104

ISSN: 1800-427X (print)
eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v5i2.104

Published date: 25 December 2013
Pp. 99–101

EDITORIAL : Tradition for Better or Worse

James L. Reveal*
*Section Editor: Taprobanica, the journal of Asian Biodiversity

For many a young person there is nothing worse than a grumpy old curmudgeon with opinions steeped in tradition and a “we have always done it that way” attitude.
Call me guilty.
Now in my seventh decade of life with some fifty years of experience writing botanical papers I bring a modicum of experience to the subject, and being one of the “old school” the baggage includes a lot of established tradition that dates back centuries. This is not to say that I am laboring on this editorial on an old manual typewriter with a faded ribbon, technology is something all of us embrace for it often saves time and resources. Rather, I am talking about the traditions established by botanists on how information is presented when written. Again, I am not suggesting publications should only be in the form of a hard copy, quite the contrary as I am a firm supporter of electronic publication.