Journal Paleontological of Techniques

Paleontology is a comprehensive domain of Science which is growing fast becoming more and more attractive to a great audience. The fossils explain us the origin and evolution of the species, with all its implication. Dinosaurs and other fossils attract thousand of visitors to the museums and are frequent subjects of news and documentaries.

The quality of the discoveries is often proportional to the quality of the methods and techniques used in the paleontology, in special those related with the Preparation, which is the cleanness, consolidation, protection, reconstruction of the fossils, since it is collecting until they are ready for exhibition and study. The majority of the palaeontologists are associated with a fossil preparator, that often is its best co-worker and to whom the fossils are trusted by the first time. Despite the importance, the Preparation of Fossils has not been subject of any specific peer-review periodic scientific publication. This absence led to the lost of the Knowledge accumulated during of years by the preparator and scientists, with serious implications in the quality of the fossils that are presented to Science. Frightfully, it did not existed, until now, a single periodic scientific publication that if dedicated to this subject.

The Museum of the Lourinhã, has a long tradition in the preparation of fossils, becoming a European reference in the subject, developing new techniques and training new preparators. Standing for quality of the fossils, the Museum of the Lourinhã considers of extreme importance the investment in the quality and development of this area, so often forgotten. A scientific outlet publication, the Journal Paleontological Techniques, with raised quality standards, is perhaps, the one of the best contribution to make for the preparation of fossils and for the conservation of the fossils worldwide.

The Journal Paleontological Techniques is an international, modern publication, freely distributed by Internet (www.jpaleontological techniques.org) with peer-review standards. The digital publications, currently in expansion, already are a reality and a serious alternative to classic publications in paper. The advantages of the digital editions are the low cost, free and automatic international distribution, speed, optional print-per-order paper version, and can be independent of large editorial corporations. The digital editions are even of more easy maintenance, storage, distribution and search in any library. The system of DOI (Digital Object Identifier) guarantees its continuity and access, and withdraws the obsolete fears of not durability of digital documents.