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The Electronic Journal and Peer Review

In a 1996 article entitled "Implementing Peer Review on the Net," Steven Harnad argued that most electronic
scholarly publishing "needs to be constrained by peer review," but he also finds room on the Internet for unrefereed
discussion, even "in high-level peer discussion forums to which only qualified specialists in a given field have
read/write access." As the popularity of scholarly electronic journals grows, such publications are beginning to provide
the same type of review process that print journals apply. There is no reason why interactive discussion forums, as

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described by Harnad, cannot also be added to enrich the nature of scientific discourse.

The electronic review process of a scholarly paper is twofold, following the print convention. The editorial review
consists of examination of the work by an editorial board. If the paper is deemed worthy, two peer reviewers in the
field are chosen by the editors to evaluate and review the manuscript. If a stalemate arises between the two, a third
reviewer is chosen to break the deadlock. Although the goal of peer review is objectivity, the selection process is still
vulnerable when new paradigms are discussed. Controversial manuscripts, even those by well-known scientists, can
be rejected.
Unpopular topics are not the only factors in the rejection of a paper. In April 1997, The New England Journal of
Medicine published an article called "The Messenger Under Attack—Intimidation of Researchers by Special Interest
Groups." The article described in detail several cases of researchers being harassed by physician groups and academic
associations that failed to disclose ties to drug companies. As with print publication, well-financed pressure groups
can affect which research gets financed, promoted, and published on the Internet.

The InterNIC Academic Guide to the Internet

The InterNIC Academic Guide to the Internet <http://www.aldea.com/guides/ag/attframes2.html> focuses exclusively
on the interests of the higher education research and education communities. InterNIC is a cooperative activity of the
National Science Foundation, Network Solutions, Inc., and AT&T. Users of the guide express opinions about a site's
academic value. Their scores are posted with the description of the site, providing peer opinions about its value. The
top-level categories include biological sciences, computer sciences, engineering and geosciences, math and physical
sciences, and social sciences. To join the InterNIC mailing list, send an e-mail including the words "subscribe
internic" to <majordomo@aldea.com>.

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