Smocovitis Vassiliki Betty, Bolnick Daniel I, Moore Christopher M, Morse Patricia L
Am Nat. 2020 Dec;196(6):663-678. doi: 10.1086/711418. Epub 2020 Oct 28.
The American Naturalist recently passed its sesquicentennial. Throughout this long history, it regularly encountered moments of introspection and debate over its goals, mission, identity, and audience. Here, we chronicle the history of those debates and transitions at critical moments. The Naturalist began as a popular magazine for amateur naturalists in the late 1860s. In the late 1870s, it transitioned to an increasingly academic journal for professional scientists from all branches of the natural sciences. By the turn of the century, academic specialization led to increasing fragmentation of the sciences into a multitude of societies and journals, creating an identity crisis for the once-broad-reaching American Naturalist. This identity crisis was resolved when the journal pivoted around 1910 to focus on fundamental advances in the newly emerging field of genetics. In the 1960s, the journal underwent a remarkably rapid transition to its present focus on evolution and ecology. The profound shifts in the journal’s contents over this time are a reflection of the historical changes in science as a whole: from amateur naturalists, to polymath professionals, to increasingly specialized academics. This chronicle reveals the ways in which The American Naturalist has left its mark on many disciplines, many of which are today only loosely affiliated with the journal, if at all.
《美国博物学家》最近迎来了它的150周年纪念。在其漫长的历史中，它时常经历关于自身目标、使命、身份和受众的反思与辩论时刻。在此，我们记述这些关键时刻的辩论与转变的历史。《博物学家》起初是19世纪60年代末面向业余博物学家的大众杂志。19世纪70年代末，它转变为一本面向自然科学各分支专业科学家的学术性渐强的期刊。到世纪之交时，学术专业化导致科学日益碎片化，形成众多学会和期刊，给一度覆盖面广泛的《美国博物学家》带来了身份危机。当该期刊在1910年左右转向专注于新兴遗传学领域的基础性进展时，这一身份危机得到了解决。在20世纪60年代，该期刊经历了一次显著快速的转变，转向了如今对进化和生态学的关注。在此期间该期刊内容的深刻转变反映了整个科学领域的历史变迁：从业余博物学家，到博学的专业人士，再到日益专业化的学者。这本编年史揭示了《美国博物学家》在许多学科留下印记的方式，其中许多学科如今与该期刊的联系即便有也十分松散。
