Journal of Genetic Genealogy goes Live

In your March 1, 2005 issue of this newsletter, I mentioned the (then) proposed Journal of Genetic Genealogy.  The journal ended up taking longer to implement than  was originally planned. (Where have I heard that before?) However, the JoGG is now available online. Here is the announcement from the Journal's editor, Whit Athey:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I would like to announce the inaugural issue of a new (free) on-line journal, the Journal of Genetic Genealogy (JoGG).  A number of people, some of whose names you will probably recognize have worked very hard to bring you this journal.  You may see the first issue at the JoGG web site: http://www.jogg.info

While some of the articles in this first issue may appear overly technical, we will strive to have a balance between articles of general interest and articles that will appeal to the experts in coming issues.  The main objective for the first issue was simply to start the journal, using material that our little group of organizers personally knew about.  From this point, we hope that the journal will be filled with articles that the genetic genealogy community submits, and that will have a broad appeal.  We will publish full articles, brief communications (short articles, 1-2 pages in length, focused on a narrow subject), review articles, editorials, and letters to the editor.  If you have an idea for an article, I encourage you to contact me to discuss it.

For each article in the journal and each shorter feature, there is an html version suitable for reading on your screen.  This version has links to other sites and to any referenced articles.  There is also a PDF version, mostly without links, that is intended primarily for printing.  The PDF versions may be downloaded and freely distributed, subject only to the "creative commons" agreement (see bottom of the Table of Contents page at the site).

The web site and its design have been provided by World Families Network.

We encourage your feedback.

Whit Athey, Editor
Journal of Genetic Genealogy

Editorial Board (the board is currently expanding, but here are the founders)
Dennis Garvey, Associate Editor
Tom Roderick, Associate Editor
Terry Barton
Ann Turner
Stephen Perkins
Richard Barton

Comments

[Richard Cottrell]

Thanks but no thanks.

I've dealt with the people behind the Journal of Genetic Genealogy before in the past.

I've had bad advice and help from some of the people associated with that journal.

I've seen other people recieve bad advice and help from some of the people associated with that journal.

Simply doing a few different dna tests, or googling for scientific articles, or posting information on a dna mailing lists, or writing a book doesn't make any person an expert on dna.

As far as me and my ancestry, there isn't anything needed from the people associated with that journal.

[Juno]

I too know others that have been smitten by these dna pros.

[JenniferW]

I think you are being a bit hard on these folks. I don't know all the people involved but I do know one personally and I have been reading the e-mail postings and a book written by another. Both of them are obvious experts in the field and have produced high-quality information in the past.

I also read the first edition of this "Journal" that is now online and it looks as good as I had expected. I hope to read many more.

I would suggest that everyone read the online Journal before making snap judgments, then think for yourself.

[Bonis]

Jennifer,

I have to disagree with your posting. I reviewed the journal and also read the biographies of the individuals. I don't see anyone that has the credentials in order be called a expert in the field of genetics.

What I see are people called gentealogists who are trying to apply an official scientific look to a publication for the field of genetic genealogy. Certainly the technical content of the articles is enough to make any person take notice, however, no article presented has been proven to be relevant or beneficial to genetic genealogy much less the field of genetics.

So go ahead and read the journal but don't erroneously apply the title "expert" to anything concerning that publication.

[jenniferw]

Hmmm, you say you "don't see anyone that has the credentials in order be called a expert in the field of genetics"?

Thomas H. Roderick, PhD, geneticist, formerly of the Jackson Laboratory in Maine (one of the world's leading genetics centers), now of the Center for Human Genetics, one of the leading authors of scientific papers linking genetics and genealogy

Whit Athey, PHD, retired physicist formerly at the Food and Drug Administration where he was the chief of one of the medical device labs

Richard Barton, MD, board certified Obstetrician Gynecologist, long-time genealogist.

Terry Barton, Co-Leader of the 140-man Barton DNA Project.

Ann Turner, MD, founder of the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list, undergraduate degree in biology, developed software to split out all people in a genealogy database who were related via their mitochondrial DNA, six years before mtDNA tests were commercially available.

These folks do not sound like neophytes to me!