Currently, we maintain the journal lists at https://github.com/JabRef/reference-abbreviations. This is neither linked from JabRef nor browsable by JabRef.

Refs JabRef#1285

Proposal

• The github repo should be the single point of truth, no index at http://jabref.sourceforge.net/resources.php#availablelists any more
• Add heading line to each txt file. E.g., # American Mathematical Society journals abbreviation list by by Tzu-Hao Wei (could be solved by Make the data csv (and adapt JabRef accordingly) abbrv.jabref.org#42 as CSV supports comments)
• A script should convert the txt files to an index file accessible by JabRef. -- alternative: Connect to abbr.jabref.org somehow
• The script should offer addition of "external" abbreviations such as https://github.com/timstaley/jabref-astro-abbreviations - or automatically mirror the list to offer prevention 404 (or online support)
• JabRef should offer browsing through these files (or online support)
• 404 of "ISI Web of Science journal list" (http://people.su.se/~alau4517/jabref.wos.txt) should be resolved. - Fetch it from www.archive.org or ask Alistair Auffret.
• Check status of the general list (https://github.com/JabRef/reference-abbreviations/blob/master/journals/journal_abbreviations_general.txt). Either JabRefs built-in journal list should be removed completely (and only external lists should be supported) or this general list should be merged into JabRef's build-in journal list. Keeping two more or less general lists is not feasible. This refs SourceForge references jabref#290.

Alternative

When having the repository locally, the browsing functionality of the dialog is sufficient to easy switch abbreviation lists. Maybe, it would be easer to simply combine all abbreviation lists into a single general combined list on github and to offer an auto-update of that list.

More things

• Offer a default location of the personal list. Like %APPDATA\JabRef\journal_abbreviations.txt or %HOME/.jabref/journal_abbreviations.txt. The user should not be forced to choose a location for his abbrevation list. Changing of the location is OK if someone wants to version his list easily.