[Python-ideas] Add citation() to site.py

[Nikolaus Rath]

On Mar 21 2016, Steven D'Aprano <steve-iDnA/YwAAsAk+I/owrrOrA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 20, 2016 at 01:26:03PM -0700, Nikolaus Rath wrote:
>> On Mar 19 2016, Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w-XMD5yJDbdMReXY1tMh2IBg at public.gmane.org> wrote:
>> > The reason I suggest that approach is that most (all?) of us aren't
>> > research scientists, so we have no idea what typical conventions are
>> > for citations, nor how those conventions are changing.
>> 
>> Which I believe makes it completely pointless to cite Python at all. As
>> far as I can see, nowadays citations are given for two reasons:
>> 
>> 1. To give the reader a starting point to get more information on a
>>    topic.
>> 
>> 2. To formally acknowledge the work done by someone else (who ends up
>>    with an increased number of citations for the cited publication,
>>    which is unfortunately a crucial metric in most academic hiring and
>>    evaluation processes).
>>    
>> In case of Python, an explicit citation thus adds nothing. 
>
> I'm afraid I don't understand your reasoning here. Both of your two 
> reasons apply: a citation to Python gives the reader a starting point to 
> get more information

As I said, I don't think a formal reference to something like

[1] Python Core Team (2015). Python 3.6.0a0: A dynamic, open
    source programming language. Python Software Foundation.
    URL https://www.python.org/.

gives the reader a better starting point than just writing "...a Python
script was used to...".

> and it formally acknowledges the work done by 
> others.

Yeah, but the "others" don't benefit from it and don't care about it.

> You might feel that everybody knows how to use google, and that a formal 
> acknowledgement is pointless because nobody cares, but that's a value 
> judgement about the usefulness of what the citation adds.

Indeed. I judge the value of the extra information to be less than the
value of the space consumed by it, so I consider it pointless.


Best,
-Nikolaus

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