Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
6 . 2
A u t h o r s o f E - A r t i c l e s
Authors of e-articles benefit from:
1. Added space for long articles (Section
6.2.1
) and
2. Reduced cycle time (Section
6.2.2
).
However, they must be concerned by two detriments of e-journals:
1. E-journal prestige and acceptance (Section
6.2.3
).
2. Added work required to publish (Section
6.2.4
).
6.2.1
Added Space
The added space afforded by advanced electronicity e-journals allows additional
material to be included. This benefit is especially important for qualitative research
where long case studied and in-depth descriptions can increase the value of the work.
The added space also supports the inclusion of unorthodox material and unorthodox
media. Researchers that study innovative areas or new streams of research are given
a potential outlet for their work.
41
For example,
Communications of AIS
includes
tutorials in the journal. Tutorials are often considered merit worthy for scholars in
teaching universities and are useful teaching tools for professors in research and
teaching universities.
6.2.2
Reduced Cycle Time
In the sciences (e.g., computer science, biology, physics, chemistry) and in medi-
cine it is common to send preprints of work, to establish priority claims because the
competition for recognition is high. In behavioral science, preprints are rare. How-
ever, databases like the Social Science Research Network and Web sites like the
IS World working paper series
42
allow readers access to working papers in various
disciplines. However, working papers are rarely cited in subsequent work. When a
topic is “hot,” having the first published article can increase recognition and citation
(assuming the journal is read and referenced). Therefore, the speed of publication
afforded by e-journals is an incentive for authors.
41
For example, Koenig and Harrel
[29]
predicted that the added space afforded by e-journals would
increase the odds of scholars to publish. However, as of 2005, it is unclear if the distribution of published
authors as depicted by Lotka
[33]
has changed.
42
http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/research/resources/isworld/workingpapers/index.htm
[last accessed June
25, 2005].
