Palaeoinsights

A topical collection in Quaternary (ISSN 2571-550X).

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Editor


E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Interests: fluvial geomorphology; morphological evolution; fluvial sedimentology; aeolian sediments; periglacial landforms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

 

Dear Colleagues,

Quaternary has genuine interest in ‘palaeoinsights’ or essay papers addressing author’s personal views on different Quaternary topics in relation to either the discipline itself, its potential interest for society, or both. Insights on palaeosciences, in general, are also welcome provided they have impact on Quaternary science and/or may be of interest for the Quaternary audience. Eventually, scientific issues of general relevance may also be considered, under the same circumstances.

‘Palaeoinsights‘ is aimed at encouraging open and constructive conceptual discussion on important topics in Quaternary science. The main objectives are to progress towards agreement on controversial issues, to introduce new unconventional approaches to existing problems, to find novel pathways of scientific progress, and to enhance the scope of Quaternary research as the basis for a more integrative view of our discipline within the framework of earth sciences. Historical and philosophical insights on Quaternary science and palaeosciences, in general, are also relevant. Authors may want to think not only about the scientific practice itself but also on why we do it and why we do it in the way we do. This transcends our routine activities and stimulates introspection on ourselves as science practitioners and also on the meaning of our discipline in the general context of knowledge generation. Potential impacts of Quaternary research on society, in the form of practical applications or cultural improvement—including formal education, popularization or policy making—are matters of interest as well. The main topics suggested are listed below but contacting the editor for additional proposals is encouraged.

The tone of ‘palaeoinsights‘ should always be positive and aimed at improving Quaternary research, its scientific soundness and its social utility. Scientific quality is essential. Argumentation should be authoritative, constructive and free from emotional burden. Antecedents of the topics discussed should be fairly introduced and all original ideas and views of other authors should be properly credited. ‘Palaeoinsights‘ are neither balanced reviews on a particular subject nor commentaries on specific published papers but personal approaches to topics of interest for the Quaternary audience. ‘Palaeoinsights’ should not include original and unpublished data but already published data can be freely used and re-evaluated, if necessary.

Suggested topics

  • Opinions on controversial topics
  • Novel perspectives and unconventional approaches to persistent problems
  • Current challenges of Quaternary research
  • Philosophical issues involving the Quaternary
  • Peculiarities of Quaternary science
  • History of Quaternary research
  • The future of Quaternary science
  • Research careers in Quaternary science
  • Teaching the Quaternary
  • Quaternary science and society
  • Popularization of Quaternary science
  • Quaternary science and future environmental change
  • Contribution of Quaternary research to policies and regulations

Specific submission tips

Authors interested in submitting a ‘palaeoinsight‘ should first contact the Editor-in-Chief or the Managing Editor and send a proposal including a title, a summary and a short representative reference list. If the proposal is approved, the author will be invited to submit a complete manuscript for peer review. Initial editorial decisions will be based on appropriateness and scientific soundness, and peer review will consider more specific criteria related to the particular subject of the manuscript. Speculation is considered useful provided it can contribute to the advancement of Quaternary science (sensu van Loon [1]). There are no specific regulations on the length of manuscripts, but it is recommended to remain below 6000 words, although short essays are also acceptable. As in other Quaternary papers, there is no limit for tables, colour figures and references but reasonable numbers of them are recommended. As these are opinion papers, we recommend a maximum of three authors. There is no deadline for this topical collection, which will remain permanently open for submissions. Potential contributors are encouraged to contact the editors for any additional information or clarification.

Prof. Dr. Jef Vandenberghe
Collection Editor

References

1. Van Loon, A.J. From speculation to model: the challenge of launching new ideas in the Earth sciences. Earth-Sci. Rev. 2004, 65, 305–313.

 

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Quaternary is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Essay
  • Opinion
  • Controversial topics
  • Novel perspectives
  • Science history and philosophy
  • Science and society

Published Papers (3 papers)

2023

Jump to: 2018

9 pages, 2640 KiB  
Opinion
Anticipation, Discovery and Serendipity in Quaternary Paleoecology: Personal Experiences from the Iberian Pyrenees
by Valentí Rull
Quaternary 2023, 6(3), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030042 - 18 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1243
Abstract
This essay is a personal insight based on my own experience in the Iberian Pyrenees, which addresses three situations common in paleoecological research, such as the verification of previously devised hypotheses (anticipation), the finding on unknown events in unstudied sites (discovery) and the [...] Read more.
This essay is a personal insight based on my own experience in the Iberian Pyrenees, which addresses three situations common in paleoecological research, such as the verification of previously devised hypotheses (anticipation), the finding on unknown events in unstudied sites (discovery) and the finding of unexpected outputs in already known areas (serendipity). The account is concentrated on the value of the coring sites by themselves as generators of paleoecological knowledge, rather than on the actual findings, which are presented and discussed in the corresponding data papers. The main aim is to show that there is still much room for new findings, even in areas that have been surveyed for a long time and are supposed to be well known, from a paleoecological perspective. Finally, some general lessons are derived and conceptualized. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

2018

Jump to: 2023

17 pages, 4370 KiB  
Commentary
Strong Fuzzy EHLFS: A General Conceptual Framework to Address Past Records of Environmental, Ecological and Cultural Change
by Valentí Rull
Quaternary 2018, 1(2), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1020010 - 31 Jul 2018
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3525
Abstract
Although the interpretation of Quaternary records of interrelated environmental–ecological–human processes is necessarily complex, it is often addressed using too-simple deterministic approaches. This paper suggests a holistic framework called EHLFS (Environmental–Human–Landscape Feedbacks and Synergies) to tackle Quaternary complexity. The EHLFS scheme is a multiple-working-hypotheses [...] Read more.
Although the interpretation of Quaternary records of interrelated environmental–ecological–human processes is necessarily complex, it is often addressed using too-simple deterministic approaches. This paper suggests a holistic framework called EHLFS (Environmental–Human–Landscape Feedbacks and Synergies) to tackle Quaternary complexity. The EHLFS scheme is a multiple-working-hypotheses framework, able to account for the particular nature of Quaternary research, and is used in combination with the strong inference method of hypothesis testing. The resulting system is called the strong fuzzy EHLFS approach. This approach is explained in some detail and compared with the more extended simplistic determinisms—namely the environmental determinism and the human determinism—as well as with dual determinisms or deterministic approaches based on two contrasting and apparently contradictory and excluding hypotheses or theories. The application of the strong EHLFS methodology is illustrated using the Late Holocene ecological and cultural history of Easter Island since its initial human settlement, a topic that has traditionally been addressed using simplistic and dual deterministic approaches. The strong fuzzy EHLFS approach seems to be a robust framework to address past complex issues where environment, humans and landscape interact, as well as an open system able to encompass new challenging evidence and thorough changes in fundamental research questions. Full article
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Figure 1

3 pages, 185 KiB  
Editorial
Palaeoinsights—Editorial Tips
by Valentí Rull
Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010005 - 22 Mar 2018
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3018
Abstract
Quaternary promotes a special type of papers called ‘Palaeoinsights’, which are essay and opinion papers addressing author’s personal views on different Quaternary topics in relation to either the discipline itself, its potential interest for society, or both [...]
Full article
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