Paper vs. electrons. Epidemiologic publishing in a changing world.

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Scholarly Publishing
• Information Science

Background:

• Epidemiologic publication has seen steady growth using traditional print methods.
• Scholarly electronic publishing has experienced exponential growth in recent years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the parallel development of epidemiologic and electronic publishing.
• To evaluate the positive and negative implications of integrating these two fields.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative assessment of epidemiologic journal publication (1966-1999).
• Literature review of scholarly electronic publication (1991-1997).
• Case study of an online journal and review of IT opinions.

Main Results:

• Epidemiologic publication grew moderately, adding six journals since 1966.
• Electronic scholarly journals increased from 27 to 2459 between 1991-1997.
• Electronic publishing offers flexibility, faster publication, and diverse presentation but poses risks to peer review and credibility.

Conclusions:

• The transition to electronic publishing is likely inevitable but requires a measured approach.
• Dual publishing models are emerging, with potential widespread adoption in epidemiology.
• Future publishing landscapes will be shaped by market forces and technological advancements.