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Bulletins of American Paleontology

scientific journal

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 10, 2025
Entity authorityQ4996851
Source-derived summary

Bulletins of American Paleontology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Paleontological Research Institution and issued biannually that features monographs and dissertations in the field of paleontology and other related subjects. Founded by Gilbert Harris in 1895, it is the oldest continuously-published paleontological periodical in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the oldest in the world.

History

In 1895, Gilbert Harris, a professor of geology at Cornell University, established Bulletins of American Paleontology in order to publish his research on Paleocene and Eocene mollusk fossils. Printing originally took place at Harris's own printing enterprise at McGraw Hall, Cornell. Publication of Bulletins was transferred to the Paleontological Research Institution upon its founding by Gilbert Harris in 1932.

In 1961, PRI signed an agreement with Kraus Reprints (now Periodicals Service Company) to reprint out-of-print issues of Bulletins.

Since 1986, Bulletins has featured the series "Neogene Paleontology of the Northern Dominican Republic", a large-scale project to identify and collect fossils from the Neogene Caribbean sequence. 20 systemic monographs in the series have been published in Bulletins of American Paleontology.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Bulletins of American Paleontology” as scientific journal. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bulletins, American and Paleontology.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1895, 1932, 1961, 1986—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1895. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Bulletins, American and Paleontology providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bulletins of American Paleontology”, the useful work is to connect “scientific journal” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 10, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4996851. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1895, 1932, 1961 and 1986.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Bulletins of American Paleontology”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Bulletins of American Paleontology primary sources, Bulletins of American Paleontology archive and Bulletins research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bulletins of American Paleontology”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Bulletins of American Paleontology” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.