Thread Name: A bit about ISBN numbers (was Re: Minor Marx variant) From: Scot Kamins <kamins@removed> Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 10:21:06 -0700 From the usually unreliable but occasionally enlightening WIKIPEDIA: "The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN (sometimes pronounced "is-ben"), is a unique[1] identifier for books, intended to be used commercially. The ISBN system was created in the United Kingdom in 1966 by the booksellers and stationers W H Smith and originally called Standard Book Numbering or SBN (still used in 1974). It was adopted as international standard ISO 2108 in 1970. A similar identifier, the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), is used for periodical publications such as magazines. From 1 January 2007, ISBNs will be 13 digits long" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN ------------------------------------- From: J B Krygier <jbkrygier@removed> Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 14:31:43 -0400 The very prestigious journal Nature did an accuracy assessment of Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica entries and the results... relatively close in accuracy, considering the EB is written by paid professionals & experts: "In order to test its reliability, Nature conducted a peer review of scientific entries on Wikipedia and the well-established Encyclopedia Britannica. The reviewers were asked to check for errors, but were not told about the source of the information. "Only eight serious errors, such as misinterpretations of important concepts, were detected in the pairs of articles reviewed, four from each encyclopedia," reported Nature. "But reviewers also found many factual errors, omissions or misleading statements: 162 and 123 in Wikipedia and Britannica, respectively." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4530930.stm ------------------------------------- From: Scot Kamins <kamins@removed> Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:58:24 -0700 The reliability of the Nature study has been called into question, as has the reliability of the Britannica itself. The lack of reliability of Wikipedia was the main reason that Wikipedia cofounder Larry Sanger abandoned the project and went off to join the Digital Universe project (http://www.dufoundation.org/ project.php). -------------------------------------