Information about science is published in several different formats with different levels of authority.
Opinion sites
Blogs and opinion sites allow casual comment in relatively unsophisticated form, from people who may or may not be knowledgeable in the subject at hand. They are usually moderated to sieve out acrimonious comments from trolls and other dialogue-wreckers. The Queensland Science Network does not run an opinion page at present. One is planned, but it awaits recruitment of a team of volunteer moderators.
Newsletters
Most member groups of the Queensland Science Network produce regular newsletters. Some of these are readily available on their websites, some are available free of charge or for a small fee by signing up to a subscription list; some are distributed only to members.
Open Access
Royal Geographical Society Bulletin
Subscription Access (free or paid)
Queensland Fire And Biodiversity Consortium
Nurture, a monthly newsletter of Healthy Land and Water.
Members only
The Royal Society Of Queensland
Magazines
Magazines publish articles of a popular or semi-popular nature. A few are available in newsagents; otherwise by subscription.
Cosmos https://cosmosmagazine.com/ is a national quarterly magazine on general science published by The Royal Institution of Australia Inc(RiAus), a science communications organisation based in Adelaide. Wildlife Australia is a national quarterly magazine published by QSN member Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland and is Australia’s oldest surviving wildlife and nature magazine, founded in 1963 https://wildlife-australia.org.au/
Cosmos
Wildlife Australia
Journals
As scientific knowledge is recorded, it builds on past knowledge. Knowledge expands exponentially and indefinitely. Publication after verification by other experts in the field is central to the advance of scientific knowledge.
The first scientific journal was published in 1665 by the Royal Society in London and titled “Philosophical Transactions, Giving some Account of the present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours of the Ingenious in many considerable parts of the World”. (In that era the word ‘philosophy‘ included intellectual enquiry of all kinds). The first editor wrote: “We must be very careful as well of regist’ring the person and time of any new matter, as the matter itselfe, whereby the honor of the invention will be reliably preserved to all posterity”. Wikipedia recounts the story.
This journal featured many functions of the scientific journal that are important to this day – global not parochial in scope, registration (date stamping and provenance), honour to first discoverer, certification (peer review), dissemination and archiving.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland
The Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland has been published almost annually since 1884. It succeeded the Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Queensland, published in three volumes from 1859. It publishes scholarly research articles, short communications, abstracts of students’ dissertations and opinion pieces. All articles are peer-reviewed. It focuses on the natural sciences and related themes. Full-text search capability is available. Articles prior to 1956 and from 2020 can be downloaded free of charge. Five volumes have been published in 2020, three being themed Special Issues. See the index page for more details.
- Volume 125, The Land of Clouds Revisited (Eungella Rainforests).
- Volume 126, Springs of the Great Artesian Basin.
- Volume 127, A Rangelands Dialogue: Towards a Sustainable Future, papers arising from the July 2019 Rangelands Policy Dialogue.
The Sunbird
The Sunbird is a peer-reviewed journal published by the Queensland Ornithological Society Inc. (Birds Queensland). The Society’s aim is to promote the scientific study and conservation of birds, with particular reference to the birds of Queensland, and in this it is the sole ornithological journal devoted specifically to birds of Queensland and adjacent northern regions of Australia. It commenced publication in 1970. The scope of the journal covers all aspects of ornithology, e.g. life history, taxonomy, distribution, behaviour and ecology.
Occasional Publications
Member groups and their individual members publish scientific material in a wide range of formats, sometimes in print and sometimes only on the Internet. You can browse the list below or search using keywords to find a subject of interest to you. This compilation was commenced in 2019.
Report on the history and current state of 1927 footpath plantings of Macadamia tetraphylla along Mount Glorious Road, Mount Glorious Qld. Hosted and coordinated by the South East Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium, Bushfire 2016: Connecting Science, People and Practice was a national conference held on the 28-30th September 2016, at the University of Queensland, aimed at connecting fire scientists, ecologists and students with on-ground fire operators, land managers and other fire and environmental professionals. Bushfire […] In June 2019, the SEQ Fire and Biodiversity Consortium held its 20-year anniversary celebration, at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, Toowong. With the theme Fire, Research and Partnerships, this forum showcased projects and programs that highlight the value of partnerships and longevity in applied fire ecology and on-ground management. Consistent with the long-standing objective of […] The Moreton Bay Foundation was officially launched on the 30 August by His Excellency the Governor at a function at Brisbane City Hall. An immensely rich compendium of contemporary and ancient Indigenous knowledge Moreton Bay Quandamooka & Catchment: Past, present, and future was also launched and is now available as an E-book as well as […] The three-co-organisers of the July Rangelands Policy Dialogue have approved of a one-page Declaration, download here. The three parties – The Royal Society of Queensland, AgForce and NRM Regions Queensland – have issued the following statement. “The Rangelands Declaration is not an action plan. It is a statement of principles, emphasising the lack of widely […] Transport infrastructure planning has lost its way – by Geoff Edwards ‘Public infrastructure’ is a term commonly used to describe the basic physical structures needed for the operation of a society or commercial enterprise. The traditional method of funding public infrastructure has been through public budgets.3 This imposes three powerful brakes upon over investment in grandiose […]
Macadamias – Mount Glorious
Bushfire 2016: Connecting Science, People and Practice
SEQ Fire and Biodiversity Consortium 20-year anniversary
The Moreton Bay Foundation Launched
Rangelands Declaration released
Transport infrastructure planning has lost its way
