CONSISTENCY IN THE USE OF STRATIGRAPHIC NOMENCLATURE: WHAT'S AN EDITOR TO DO?

To ensure consistency in journals, books and publication series, editors use a variety of resources, such as dictionaries, style guides, journal Internet sites, lexicons and the "North American Stratigraphic Code", to research, check and confirm facts, references and stratigraphic nomenclature. Most often, the changes suggested by editors are straightforward objective corrections intended to improve the text for the benefit of both authors and readers. However, subjective decisions must also be made, frequently in the area of stratigraphic nomenclature, which pose more difficult scenarios for both the author in having to change their preferred (although incorrect) name and for editors in having to enforce the correct terminology. So, when an author remains adamant, what recourse does the editor have? Who can police stratigraphic nomenclature? and What is the most effective method for enforcement? A variety of responses will be presented.