An Origin of Citations: Darwin's Collaborators and Their Contributions to the Origin of Species.

In the first edition of the Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin apologized for not correctly referencing all the works cited in his magnum opus. More than 150 years later we have catalogued these citations and analyzed the resultant data. Looking for a complete selection of collaborators, a flexible interpretation of the term citation was necessary; we define it as any reference made to a third party, independently of its form or function. Following the same idea, the sixth edition of the Origin, originally published in 1872 and reprinted with minor additions and corrections in 1876, was chosen for the research because it represents the end of a long debate between Darwin and his peers. It naturally is the edition with the greatest number of citations and collaborators. Through a diverse theoretical analysis, we aim to present a new perspective for the study of the Origin of Species: a bibliographic approach that provides the tools needed to understand the history of the book as a physical and cultural object. Bibliometrics provides a theory of citations as well as a quantitative analysis; science studies highlights the profound social aspects of science in the making. The analysis resulted in 639 citations to 298 collaborators and provided a new perspective of the rhetorical structure of the Origin, even though these results are only the tip of the iceberg of the potential of all the data gathered in this study.

El Viaje / The voyage

Las exploraciones hidrográficas y geográficas siempre han sido necesarias para Inglaterra, muy consciente de su condición insular. El marino Robert Fitz Roy participa en dos de ellas incorporando a Charles Darwin en la segunda, quien a los 22 años era bachiller en Teología, Filosofía y Artes en Cambridge. Además se había preparado en geología e historia natural. Gran observador y capaz de llegar a conclusiones generales desde los detalles visibles. Ése viaje duró casi 5 años, tanto por mar como por las exploraciones por tierra que efectúo Darwin. Reconoció el bosque húmedo, los glaciares y fue testigo de erupciones volcánicas, maremotos y terremotos. En las Islas Galápagos hizo sus observaciones zoológicas que dieron base a sus postulados sobre el origen de las especies y la supervivencia de las más aptas. De vuelta en Inglaterra sus observaciones serán maduradas por él y sus seguidores, por décadas, tarea que continúa en la actualidad.

Hydrographical and geographic knowledge have been essential for England, an insular nation. Robert Fitz Roy took part in two voyages as a seaman. In the second, Charles Darwin, aged 22, joined the expedition. He had received a degree in Theology, Philosophy and Arts at Cambridge. He had also studied Geology and Natural History. Darwin was a keen observer, capable of drawing conclusions from details. The voyage and explorations lasted nearly 5 years. He examined the rainforest and glaciers and witnessed volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. At the Galapagos Islands, he made his most important zoological observations, which became the essence of his proposal on the origin of species and natural selection. Back in England, he and other scientists continued improving his ideas, a task yet to be completed.