Some thoughts on on-line and other publications.

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Before people start getting too enthusiastic about on-line publications, we 
should consider exactly what we're trying to achieve.  Do we want an exact 
electronic equivalent of a formal scientific journal, perhaps addressing 
itself to a particular aspect of palaeontology; or is it to be a forum for 
informal articles on a diverse subject area?

If the former, then there are many considerations that must be addressed, 
including: subscriptions, editorial standards, refereeing, distribution of 
copy to libraries (many of whom are not equipped to handle such copy), and 
the fact that its' readership will be exclusive of anyone without the 
technology to bring it on-line.

If the latter (informal), it will run the risk of the kind of exponential 
proliferation of use that Paleonet itself has been subject to, with the 
attendant drop-out rate of disillusioned users who cannot handle the 
torrent of raw data generated.

A middle path might be taken by establishing a series of on-line journals 
that tackle a variety of specific subject areas, but this of course 
requires people and hardware to run them, and leads on to another topic, 
the proliferation of paper journals.

Re. the discussion of publication rates: has anyone made a statistical 
analysis of the increasing number of journals in palaeontology as a whole?
It strikes me that there are an ever-increasing number of journals dealing 
with ever-narrower fields of research, and in some cases duplicating one-
another's efforts.  The net result of this is that many seem to have 
trouble attracting high-quality, original work in sufficient quantities to 
meet their obligations to their readership.  At the same time costs are 
going through the roof, so that some relatively successful journals have 
to turn-down copy that takes up too much space, they have to charge authors 
for the privilege of publishing, and libraries are being forced to drop 
subscriptions !

While it is a healthy sign that our science is diversifying, in the present 
climate of financial stringency is there perhaps a case to be made for 
rationalising journal publication, in such a way that the weakest are 
incorporated with their stronger brethren ?   This would bring more money 
into that publication, widen membership, and make it easier for libraries 
to both afford the publication, and find room for it.  While for the rest 
of us it might make it easier to find articles if we have a few less 
journals to wade through!
    ____________________________________________________________________
   / Paul Jeffery,          [Curator, non-cephalopod Mollusca]          \
   | Room PA205,  Department of Palaeontology,                          |
   | The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, U.K.   |
   |=====================|  MENE MENE TEKEL PERES  |====================|
   | Telephone: +44 (0)171 938 8793      Fax: +44 (0)171 938 9277       |
   | INTERNET:  paj@nhm.ac.uk                                           |
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