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Scientific
Communication in the Earth Sciences: The Impact
of the Electronic Publication
CARR, TIMOTHY R.; DANA ADKINS-HELJESON; REX C. BUCHANAN; PAUL M. GERLACH; THOMAS D. METTILLE; and JANICE H. SORENSEN
Traditional paper media, such as books, monographs, journals, and maps, have
been a recognizable aspect of geologic work for several centuries. They remain
the primary medium for communicating research results, transferring technology,
and archiving knowledge. However, continued growth in volume of earth-science
literature, increased unit costs of producing and archiving paper publications,
and rapidly increasing power and availability of electronic technology are
creating pressures on traditional scientific communication, and rapidly altering
the role of traditional publication as a means of scientific communication.
Electronic publication provides broad access and alters the relationship between
interpretative result and the data. Electronic technology improves the quality
and accessibility of "non-traditional" research products, (e.g., digital
geographic information and unpublished archival material), and provides the
means to create dynamic forms of scientific
communication that can only be
displayed in an electronic environment. New forms of communication use hypertext
and relational database functions to provide text and graphics with which
readers can interact. Electronic publication improves research reproducibility
and facilitates use and continued enhancement of research products. Earth
science institutions, including the Kansas Geological Survey, are experimenting
with new forms of on-line publication that assure broad access to research and
data, and improve application of research to societal problems.