Do We Need Alternative Forms of Publishing or Only New Technologies? Some Personal Reflections

Abstract

This paper considers the incredible changes in the journal publishing industry that have taken place during the last quarter century from the perspective of someone who has been closely involved with major publishing firms in the U.K. It speaks primarily of the changes in scientific publishing. It treats not only the publishing of journals but also the development of the journal publishing industry. The author looks at these changes from an economic, technical and behavioural standpoint. In the final section, the author looks to the future of scientific journal publishing in the world of Internet. He concludes that the need for high-quality, organised information will be as great in the future as it was in the past, but the containers for this information might well look different.