The Internet for Sociologists

Abstract

s and downloadable article preprints is that of the high-energy physics community (as well as some other branches of physics and mathematics) hosted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (see http://xxx/lanl.gov). Computer scientists have organized a searchable index of the technical report series of over 70 major academic computer science departments in North America and western Europe-the Networked Computer Science Technical Reports Library (http:// www ncstrl.org/Dienst/htdocs/lnfo). . . . . . . . . . Hew SOC10 LOglStS partlclpate m 1rlstltutlona L Ly organized arrangements for sharing printed preprints or working papers, although many sociologists share their working manuscripts ancl preprints informally with selected colleagues. Those sociologists, like David Zaret, who want to make these documents in electronic form do so on their own web pages. Scholats are also finding that the WWW can be useful for increasing the readership of theit published work. For example, Howie Becker has organized his WWW page (http:/ /weber.u.washington.edu/ hbecker/) to include articles that he has published in an eclectic set of specialty journals ancl books. Anyone interestecl in following Becker's writing would not have been likely to locate many of these articles by relying upon disciplinary journal indicess such as Sociofiler Electroliic jourllals: tables of colltellts alld abstracts illdices Some editors of journals and books are creating on-line archives of tables of contents and abstracts that may be browsed or searched. For exallple, the Anmlal Review of Soaology has organized the last 12 years of tables of contents ancl the last several years of abstracts for on-line review (http:// www. annurev.org/soc/holne. htln) . However, the full text of luaterials is available in paper foml, and readers must obtain them via routine Ineans. These decentralized inclices are more culnbersonle for comprehensive searching than agglomerated indices such as Sociofile; but they allow more convenient browsitlg of specific publications. In addition, they may offer other kinds of value. For example, the editors of Socilogical MeSolon gnttp:/ /weber. u.washington.edu/ soctneth2/) offer abstracts andfree copies ofthesoftware that autlaors mention in their book chapters. Aere are a huge variety of ways to organize electronic publicatior s or electronic supplements to paper publications. Journal editors ancl otlaers who are interested in expanding the range of materials in electronic fonnats coulcl usefully examine various strategies triecl in other fields. For example, there is a huge collection of medical and bioscience journals that illustrate various electronics andfree copies ofthesoftware that autlaors mention in their book chapters. Aere are a huge variety of ways to organize electronic publicatior s or electronic supplements to paper publications. Journal editors ancl otlaers who are interested in expanding the range of materials in electronic fonnats coulcl usefully examine various strategies triecl in other fields. For example, there is a huge collection of medical and bioscience journals that illustrate various electronic fonnats collected on MedWeb (http:/hAzww./gen./ elnory. edu/MEDWEB/alphakey/Electronic SublicationKs.htlnl) . There LS an i nt e res t ing s e t This content downloaded from 157.55.39.96 on Sat, 03 Sep 2016 04:05:38 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms