Re: An Electronic Journal?

[BOULTER <M.C.Boulter@xxxxxxxxx>]

As a contribution to the discussion about presenting abstracts on 
paleonet, the following item I wrote for the International 
Organisation of Palaeobotany newsletter (IOP54, April 1995) takes the 
ideas further.
"Members report surprised acclaim for the small demonstration of 
graphic images and text on our IOP Home Pages on the Internet (the 
url is http://www.uel.ac.uk/palaeo/). These techniques might be 
extended to establish an IOP electronic journal. It might specialise 
in containing very large monographs or theses-like documents 
(increasingly expensive to print and distribute) and very short 
announcements of ideas and discoveries that need fast distribution. 
One problem, of course, is that few career appraisal systems 
recognise anything outside the citations index.
"Here is one way in which an electronic journal of palaeobotany might 
be organised.
1 Establish a formal editorial board. The IOP Executive Committee 
would appoint a Chief Editor to whom electronic manuscripts would be 
submitted. We would apply for an ISSN number.
2. Instructions to authors would standardise or describe preparation 
and layout in the usual way. For the time being the diagnosis of new 
taxa had better not be included.
3. Other members of the editorial board would be experienced 
palaeobotanists with active e-mail and Internet facilities who 
support IT applications.
4. The Chief Editor would select two referees and send the ms with a 
rigorous check-list of requirements for a high standard, preferably by 
e- mail.
5. Once the author's responses satisfy the Chief Editor the article 
is put on the WWW server with full connection to IOP Home Pages and 
elsewhere.
6. A "Reader Response" button at the end of each article would allow 
readers to make comments about the article and oe anothers' comments. 
This would be like the "Palaeo Talk" button facility on the existing 
IOP Home Page (look there also at the Nypa and Jansonius and Hills 
demonstrations to see the quality of half tone pictures, line 
drawings and scanned text.
"Please write your comments about this idea in the "Palaeo Talk" 
facility on the IOP Home Page."