THE JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Over the course of several years, members of the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences (AAPS), supportive academics and other concerned parties had been in discussions over the creation of an AAPS sponsored academic journal. This loose association of members, under the direction of then AAPS President Mike Triebold was organized in 2005 into the AAPS Journal Publications Committee (JPC). The Journal Publications Committee was charged with the task of developing the journal, determining its operating structure, establishing submission guidelines, rules and regulations, petitioning academics for a Peer Review Board (PRB) and other creative, logistical and structural facets of this embryonic publication. In February of 2006 with the leadership of the JPC chairman Walter W. Stein and vice-chairman, George Winters, the JPC began the process of transforming the loose, individual ideas of its members into a more streamlined and uniformed concept. While individual members of the JPC may differ with certain points of the final product (on a case by case basis), this online-journal represents the majority opinion of the JPC and the AAPS Board of Directors after much debate and discussion.

MISSION STATEMENT

"The Journal of Paleontological Sciences is dedicated to helping preserve the fossil record for future generations. We support those in the field who through ethical principles and ideals, work towards advancing our knowledge of ancient life. Our mission is to provide a free and open forum for ALL members (including, academic paleontologists, commercial paleontologists, independent paleontologists, private collectors, amateurs, and enthusiasts) of the paleontological community to share with others their research, discoveries, ideas and observations of the paleontological world. We are committed to helping expand the boundaries of communication and cooperation with those members so that science in its purest form is best attained. Let our work here record the history of this endeavor."