Electronic publishing of professional articles: Attitudes of academics and implications for the scholarly communication industry

Abstract

The study sought to answer the question, “What contribution, if any, can the publishing of professional articles in electronic form make to scholarly and research communication?” The professional article, arguably more than any other form of research communication, is seen as fundamental to the Western system of scholarship. A state-of-the-art review, and a survey of academics in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States covered the following themes: origins of professional articles; state of the printed journal; electronic publishing—pioneering research and development; publishing via commercial database hosts; publishing via the Internet and related academic networks; publishing via portable electronic media; tensions in document supply and interlending; academics as authors and readers of professional articles, and universities as publishers. Responses of 582 academics in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to a survey in the second half of 1992 enabled an assessment of the position of academics in relation to electronic publishing. Evidence was interpreted through two complementary theoretical perspectives which allowed electronic publishing to be viewed (a) as a process of technologically induced structural change across an industry, and (b) as a means of increasing efficiency and gaining competitive advantage. It was concluded that the contribution of electronic publishing lies in greater diversity and choice in a marketplace where at-source-subsidized publishing competes with fee-for-service publishing. Recommendations are made for new relationships among academics, publishers, libraries, and universities. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.