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Modernizing Monography - Session 1

Monographs are central hubs that link and synthesize biodiversity information. Monographs continue to have high value because they provide both primary data on specimens and their variation hypotheses about the origin and distribution of that variation. Although the content of monographs has changed as some tools for data collection and analysis have changed, many aspects of monography have yet to fully leverage new technologies and capabilities. Further, many taxonomic groups currently which lack traditional monographs could benefit from a modernized approach to monography.

A series of workshops has engaged the community in the possibilities and challenges of modernizing monography to embrace the diversity of life and the tools available for describing it. We aim now to synthesize these conversations into a series of perspectives and recommendations for the community, aiming to identify key needs, challenges, and opportunities of a more modern monography. To support this work, we are convening a 3-session virtual meeting to build collaborations, brainstorm and develop perspective pieces on the challenges, opportunities, and needs for modern monography. These perspectives will be published as a special collection of the Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists.