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Chapter 22
the Electronic Journal
The perfect computer has been developed. You feed in your problems, and they never come out again.
—Al Goodman
The publication of journals designed exclusively for the electronic medium is a new Web phenomenon. The electronic
journal is similar to one distributed in print in that its articles have been reviewed by peers and editors prior to
publication. Electronic journals can also include sound, short movies, and animation as visual references for the data,
just as CD-ROMs do, although with different technology. Electronic publishing also includes the secondary
advantages of hyperlinks and cross-referencing. Issues are published in less time than print issues can be produced
because hardcopy publications still need to be laid out, printed, and packaged for mailing prior to distribution.
Distribution on the Web is instantaneous as soon as the electronic journal is published. Electronic publishing is costly.
Although there are no postage costs, the electronic versions have their own costs associated with putting them online
and having the desired electronic bells and whistles. Also, issues of pricing, copyright, and accessibility are still
unresolved.
Although electronic journals are available to anyone who can access the site, they are more commonly locked
facilities, open only to members who have a password. Journal access can be fee-based, part of the dues charged by
an association, or sponsored by a research facility or
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university as part of their Intranet (as opposed to the full Internet). Among the many important online publishers are
the following:
Project Muse <http://www.press.jhu.edu/muse.html>, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University Press, offers worldwide
electronic access to the full text of over 40 journals published by the press.
Academic Press <http://www.idealibrary.com> is offering its entire list of over 170 journals online.
Blackwell Science <http://www.blackwell-science.com> publishes books and journals online in science, technology,
and medicine.
Elsevier Press <http://www.elsevier.com> plans to have all of its over 1,000 titles online by the end of 1998.
Springer-Verlag <http://www.springer.co.uk> is presently developing its online service in cooperation with IBM.
A major problem involves electronic page layout. Print does not always preserve visual interest and integrity when
converted to the Web. Although the Web offers additional resources, including sound, animation, and video, these
items still need to be provided by the author and inserted into the text in HTML. Links need to be provided to
referenced locations. Another problem is the need to change symbols and math formulas from print to graphical
illustrations. Graphic formats for print cannot be read by the Web browser; they need to be converted into such Web-
friendly formats as GIF and JPEG.
Author requirements vary for each electronic publication. Some publications will convert word-processing documents
into HTML, and graphics into formats the Web browser can read. Other publications, particularly those directed to a
computer-savvy audience, require authors to convert their word-processing files into an HTML format.
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