What information do I need to submit an article?

To submit an article to JournalMap, simply ensure your article is formatted in Citation Style Language (CSL) JSON. When utilizing the API for article submission, you have the flexibility to opt for our system to employ machine learning for extracting location information from the article. Alternatively, you can upload your own location information in the GeoJSON format.

Do I have to be an author on a paper to submit it to JournalMap?

No, anybody can contribute an article to JournalMap whether they were an author of that article or not. The only requirement is that you have access to the article to obtain the CSL JSON.

What happens to an article after I submit it to JournalMap?

When articles are submitted to JournalMap, they go into a queue for approval. You can view the status of your submitted articles in the user dashboard.

Can I submit a large number of articles at one time to JournalMap?

Yes, bulk uploads are supported by the JournalMap API. Importantly, the API is limited to 10 requests per second. Please keep this in mind when developing your bulk upload script.

My study location is a large area, not a point. Can I input polygons or areas into JournalMap?

Presently, JournalMap can accept only point locations for a study. There are attribute fields available where you can specify that the point represents a larger area. We are working to expand JournalMap so that users can delineate areas or linear features for articles.

I found an error in an article's location. How can that be corrected?

Errors can be corrected by using the API edit endpoints!

Where do the article locations in JournalMap come from?

The geographical coordinates associated with an article in JournalMap originate from either user-defined inputs or a machine learning algorithm. This algorithm extracts place names from the article's title and abstract, subsequently referencing a gazetteer to retrieve precise coordinates for the identified locations.

How are the values for environmental variables like elevation or land cover assigned to articles in JournalMap?

After geotagging an article in JournalMap, the assigned location is cross-referenced with a set of data layers to establish various search filter values. For a comprehensive list of the data layers employed by JournalMap, please refer to the developers' section on the website.

The values of environmental variables that are assigned to an article are incorrect. How did that happen, and can it be fixed?

The environmental variable values assigned to articles in JournalMap come from GIS data layers that are global in extent. By necessity these datasets are relatively coarse in scale (typically 1 sq. km. resolution), and may miss or average out local variability. To maintain consistency across the world, it is necessary to use these broad, global-scale datasets. We are exploring other options of incorporating higher-resolution and more accurate data layers as available in different parts of the world. At present, we do not have the ability to manually modify/correct the environmental variable values assigned to an article, but we are working to enable that.

Beyond contributing articles, how can I contribute to JournalMap?

First, thanks for your interest in JournalMap. We would love to have your help, and we're always looking for new collaborators. Please send us feedback.

I have a suggestion for a JournalMap feature. How do I submit that to you?

We would love to hear any suggestions you have on how JournalMap could be improved. Please contact us!

Why hasn't anybody done this before?

That's an excellent question. Perhaps the difficulty lies in identifying and extracting location information from published studies, compounded by the absence of standardized reporting for locations. Thanks to advances in parsing algorithms, computing power, and the emergence of crowdsourcing, accomplishing this task is now feasible. Notably, there are other initiatives akin to JournalMap, such as GLOBE or Pangea, exploring methods to geotag scientific knowledge as well.

How can I get access to the actual articles that are in JournalMap?

JournalMap is a knowledge discovery tool that can help you find relevant scientific papers but we do not store and distribute the actual content. Each article in JournalMap will link you to the publisher's website for that article. Accessing most copyrighted papers will require going through the journal publisher or professional society.

If you're interested in collaborating on the JournalMap project, contact:

Jason Karl, Ph.D.
Director of the U of I Rangeland Center
Associate Professor of Rangeland Ecology and Harold F. and Ruth M. Heady Endowed Chair of Rangeland Ecology
University of Idaho
208-885-0255
jkarl@uidaho.edu

Jeremy Kenyon
Unit Head for Research and Experiential Learning
Research Librarian Professor
University of Idaho
208-885-2257
jkenyon@uidaho.edu