Academic Electronic Journals: Past, Present, and Future - Advances in Computers - page 135

rately for a fraction of the cost. Initially, very little changed in the way manuscripts
were organized. Over time, new features appeared such as alphabetic indexing, ti-
tle pages, page numbering, indexing and citation [49] . Following the printing press,
incremental technological innovations improved publishing. The introduction of the
typewriter, for example, improved the speed and the readability of manuscripts. The
introduction of word processors increased the speed and quality of writing by al-
lowing in-place corrections and inserts, thus limiting the number of drafts required.
Neither the typewriter nor the word processor changed the essence of publishing
substantially.
Prior to the existence of academic journals, scientific findings were disseminated
through personal letter, books, and professional meetings [49] . The first issue of an
academic journal, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (London), was
introduced in 1665. At about the same time a new academic journal appeared in Paris,
the Journal Des Scavans [50] . Thus, although, technology and distribution channels
existed much earlier, the scientific community did not see a need to change its way of
disseminating its findings until the middle of the 17th century. The number of jour-
nals increased to 700 by 1800 and close to 10,000 journals by 1900 [23] . In the 18th
century, academic publications assumed a new function; the registration of priority
claims. Copyrights were first recorded in 1709. In the 19th century, journal publi-
cations assumed an additional role as indicators of productivity and standing [50] .
Publishing is still an integral part of the academic community. Journal publishing is
used to disseminate knowledge, enable communication among scholars and for the
gain of rewards and recognition.

3. Academic Scholarship

Because the core essence of academic publishing did not change in over 400 years
(Section 2 ), academic journals today face multiple challenges in realizing their ob-
jectives.

3 . 1 O b j e c t i v e s
Schaffner [49] lists five objectives of the academic journal:

1. To build collective knowledge by adding to existing knowledge through new
research results.
2. To communicate knowledge. Journals are used to communicate findings to
other researchers, to students, and from time to time to practitioners, govern-
ment agencies, and industry leaders.