Abstract
Background/Aims: Scholarly communication is the system through which research and other scholarly writings are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the scholarly community, and preserved for future use. The traditional formal means of interchange, publication in peer reviewed journals, is at the core of the communication infrastructure. However, the structures and processes by which scholars communicate have undergone a major transformation in recent years with the advent of the digital age. New electronic technologies for access to information appear to be revolutionizing scholarly publishing, aptly defined by the term, digital scholarship. Current trends in the chaotic scholarly publishing market can be perceived as both opportunities for and threats to digital scholarship.
Methods: Digital scholarship is in a state of unprecedented upheaval as publishers, librarians, legislators, scholarly societies, scientists and other scholars engage in tactics to propel change in directions that promote their individual goals. Strategies involve remodeling the publishing market, modifying academic and research institutional procedures, and influencing public policy.
Results: Emerging digital publishing technologies, increasing volume of scholarly works, and decreasing satisfaction with a costly and dysfunctional economic model are changing the fundamental structure of scholarly publishing. Research institutions, as well as government and funding agencies, are implementing or exploring strategies which promote free and open access to research results. These include alternative copyright arrangements, e-print archives and digital repositories.
Conclusion: Scholars, researchers, and society at large gain tremendous benefits from the expanded dissemination of research findings. However, several factors have impeded the progress of digital scholarship, including efforts to protect publishing revenues and profits, legal licensing restrictions, and the traditional culture of academia. It is therefore critical that the scientific community is actively engaged to ensure that the advancement of scholarship takes priority in the development of new publishing models.
