The Journals of German University and Engineering School Scientists Before and After National Reunification

Abstract

Historically, scientific research in both Germanies poured out of three sectors: university/engineering schools, non-teaching institute/academy labs, and industrial firms. Both Germanies, as well as the international market, competed for the resulting manuscripts, and attracted subscriptions worlwide because of them. While West German output continues apace, academy-of-science and industrial labs in the East have severely declined. This has left only the educational sector in the East-surviving but not exactly prospering-as the only ready source of manuscripts for many formerly East German journals. They need to retain that base and get more papers from the former West Germany and other scientifically competitive countries. Sampling of both East and West German labs in higher education, before (3,000 articles in 1989) and after (3,000 in 1994) reunification, suggests that this will be difficult. Not only has there been manuscript defection in their historic base, but many West Germans are increasing their submission to American journals. Preliminary sampling of 1996 output in two East German journals competing directly with the Americans suggests that the first journals will continue to lose German papers it if relies solely on an English language strategy, without changing its mix of old Warsaw Pact and nonaligned nations authors. Ironically, the second journal may slow defection in the short run by continuing as an outlet for the diminishing number of authors who insist on German as their language of publication. In the long run, painful as it might seem, the East German press must merge with the West in the many fields where there is duplication, and adopt English as well, in order to remain competitive on the international manuscript and subsrciption markets.