Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the publication process in physics journals, particularly focusing on the history and policies related to embargoes, as exemplified by the Higgs boson discovery papers. The scope includes historical context and implications for researchers presenting findings at conferences.
Discussion Character
- Historical
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- Some participants mention the interesting history of embargo policies related to the Higgs boson discovery papers, noting that both papers were published in PRL B while also attracting interest from Nature and Science.
- Others point out that the ATLAS and CMS Higgs results were published back-to-back in PLB, with additional papers in Science aimed at a broader scientific audience, which were written at the request of Science.
- It is noted that the experiments felt that PLB was appropriate for publishing "dull but important" papers, which led to some tension with Nature.
- One participant expresses surprise at the potential violation of embargoes if press coverage occurs during conference presentations.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants appear to share an interest in the historical context of publication practices, but there are differing views on the implications of embargo policies and the reactions of various journals.
Contextual Notes
Limitations include a lack of detailed information on the specific embargo policies and their enforcement, as well as the varying perspectives on the appropriateness of different publication venues for significant findings.