The rapid evolution of scholarly communication

Abstract

Traditional journals, even those available electronically, are changing slowly. However, there is rapid evolution in scholarly communication. Usage is moving to electronic formats. In some areas, it appears that electronic versions of papers are being read about as often as the printed journal versions. Although there are serious difficulties in comparing figures from different media, the growth rates in usage of electronic scholarly information are sufficiently high that if they continue for a few years, there will be no doubt that print versions will be eclipsed. Further, much of the electronic information that is accessed is outside the formal scholarly publication process. There is also vigorous growth in forms of electronic communication that take advantage of the unique capabilities of the web, and which simply do not fit into the traditional journal publishing format. This paper presents some statistics on usage of print and electronic information. It also discusses some preliminary evidence about the changing patterns of usage. It appears that much of the online usage comes from new readers (esoteric research papers assigned in undergraduate classes, for example) and often from places that do not have access to print journals. Also, the reactions to even slight barriers to usage suggest that even high‐quality scholarly papers are not irreplaceable. Readers are faced with a ‘river of knowledge’ that allows them to select among a multitude of sources, and to find near substitutes when necessary. To stay relevant, scholars, publishers and librarians will have to make even greater efforts to make their material easily accessible.

Open access publishing models: opportunity or threat to scholarly and academic publishers?

“…Authors are encouraged to deposit their papers before or after publication in one or more repositories that make them available (Odlyzko, 2002) especially open source research such as the human genome sequences (PLoSBiology, 2003) but also improved interfaces and search of journals from traditional publishers (Jongejan, 2003).…”

“…With the print edition gone, print distribution, photocopying, postage, courier and subscription management costs can also be dispensed with. (Willinsky, 2003, p. 8) First copy costs of $2,085 (Tenopir and King, 2000) to $4,000 (Odlyzko, 2002) are based on data from 1995 and earlier, with labour costs still a major portion of overall costs. Since 1995, most publishers have the same or fewer staff and have begun to automate their content management processes from start to finish and are just beginning to see the cost savings.…”

“…So far, most publishers perceive open access as a threat, either part and parcel of the other market threats publishers contend with, including reduced library budgets, continuing declines in circulation of 3-5% per year (Odlyzko, 2002), authors balking at restrictive copyright assignments, and new, alternative publishing enterprises emerging to capitalize on digital technologies, or at worst, the next big thing that will wipe out publishers forever. To respond to any of these perceived threats, publishers need new strategies for both print and electronic publishing.…”

Ein Jahr Elsevier-Boykott

“…Die Piratenflagge ist für die Verlage weit mehr als eine Spinnerei -sie ist ein rotes Tuch, ein Symbol dafür, dass sich eine neue internetaffine Generation (auch von Wissenschaftlern) neue Wege im Wissenschaftspublishing sucht. Schließlich hat das Internet die Kommunikation unter Wissenschaftlern stark verändert (siehe hierzu etwa [24,43] Open Access ist Zeitgeist, eine Chance und ein Geschäftsfeld -und zugleich ein Risiko für bestehende Strukturen.…”

An evolutionary algorithm to optimize web document retrieval

“…According to [14], virtual communities can be defined as social aggregations that emerge on the net when a certain group of people makes large public discussions, thus forming a network of personal relationships on the web environment. Virtual communities allow the integration of different societies, the convergence of diversities and the production of common interests, thus approaching people.…”