Ebook: The Scientific Article in the Age of Digitization

1. The birth of the electronic journal In the autumn of 1987 Michael Ehringhaus and Bird Stasz of Syracuse U- versity launched New horizons in adult education, probably the very rst ref- 1 ereed scienti c journal to be published in electronic form ( g. 1. 1). The rst issue was sent over the Adult Education Network (AEDNET). The journal still 2 exists today. In March 1991 Ted Jennings of the University at Albany (State 3 University of New York) launched EJournal, described as an ‘electronic jo- nal concerned with the implications of electronic networks and texts’ ( g. 1. 2), coining the now popular term e-journal. The Online journal of current cli- cal trials, published from September 1991, has been described as the rst peer 45 reviewed electronic journal in medicine. How signi cant is the phenomenon of the scienti c electronic journaltoday, more than a decade and a half after its introduction? Over this period inf- mation and communication technologies (ICT) have been an important factor in the development of scienti c communication. Applications such as c- munication over digital networks (converging towards a single network – the Internet), the use of computerized systems for creating, storing and retrieving 1 The scienti c journal is also referred to as ‘scholarly’ or ‘research’ journal. We use the former term in this study. 2 Although no longer distributed over AEDNET but through the World Wide Web. The rst issue is now ? available at http://www. nova. edu/ aed/horizons/vol1n1.

This book outlines the consequences of digitization for peer-reviewed research articles published in electronic journals. It has often been argued that digitization will revolutionize scientific communication. However, this study shows that this is not the case as far as scientific journals are concerned. Authors make little or no use of the possibilities offered by the digital medium, new procedures for electronic peer review have not replaced traditional peer review, and users do not seem to accept new forms of interaction offered by some electronic journals. The main innovations are to be found at the level of the infrastructures developed by publishers. Scientists themselves appear to be reluctant to change their established patterns of behaviour in formal scientific communication.

The book provides a theoretical background to the history and structure of scientific communication, as well as an in-depth study of electronic journals over the period 1987-2004. It offers a unique approach that questions more conventional ideas about the ‘revolutionary’ impact of digitization on scientific communication and the innovative role of publishers and aca

This book outlines the consequences of digitization for peer-reviewed research articles published in electronic journals. It has often been argued that digitization will revolutionize scientific communication. However, this study shows that this is not the case as far as scientific journals are concerned. Authors make little or no use of the possibilities offered by the digital medium, new procedures for electronic peer review have not replaced traditional peer review, and users do not seem to accept new forms of interaction offered by some electronic journals. The main innovations are to be found at the level of the infrastructures developed by publishers. Scientists themselves appear to be reluctant to change their established patterns of behaviour in formal scientific communication.

The book provides a theoretical background to the history and structure of scientific communication, as well as an in-depth study of electronic journals over the period 1987-2004. It offers a unique approach that questions more conventional ideas about the ‘revolutionary’ impact of digitization on scientific communication and the innovative role of publishers and aca
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XII
INTRODUCTION....Pages 1-22
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION....Pages 23-43
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION SYSTEM....Pages 45-92
THE DIGITIZATION OF INFORMATION RESOURCES....Pages 93-130
THE ELECTRONIC JOURNAL 1987-2004....Pages 131-190
DIGITIZATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION....Pages 191-225
Back Matter....Pages 227-264

This book outlines the consequences of digitization for peer-reviewed research articles published in electronic journals. It has often been argued that digitization will revolutionize scientific communication. However, this study shows that this is not the case as far as scientific journals are concerned. Authors make little or no use of the possibilities offered by the digital medium, new procedures for electronic peer review have not replaced traditional peer review, and users do not seem to accept new forms of interaction offered by some electronic journals. The main innovations are to be found at the level of the infrastructures developed by publishers. Scientists themselves appear to be reluctant to change their established patterns of behaviour in formal scientific communication.

The book provides a theoretical background to the history and structure of scientific communication, as well as an in-depth study of electronic journals over the period 1987-2004. It offers a unique approach that questions more conventional ideas about the ‘revolutionary’ impact of digitization on scientific communication and the innovative role of publishers and aca
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XII
INTRODUCTION....Pages 1-22
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION....Pages 23-43
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION SYSTEM....Pages 45-92
THE DIGITIZATION OF INFORMATION RESOURCES....Pages 93-130
THE ELECTRONIC JOURNAL 1987-2004....Pages 131-190
DIGITIZATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION....Pages 191-225
Back Matter....Pages 227-264
....