Manuel K "The place of e-prints in the publication patterns of physical scientists" Science and Technology Libraries 20(1):59-85 2001
Eugene Garfield
garfield at CODEX.CIS.UPENN.EDU
Tue May 28 17:08:42 EDT 2002
Kate Manuel : kmanuel at lib.nmsu.edu
TITLE The place of e-prints in the publication patterns of physical
scientists
AUTHOR Manuel K
JOURNAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LIBRARIES 20 (1): 59-85 2001
Document type: Article Language: English
Cited References: 68 Times Cited: 0
Abstract:
E-prints, electronic equivalents of paper preprints used by scientists for
rapid, informal communication of research, have recently proliferated.
Empirical research on e-prints has not, however, been commensurate with
increasing numbers of e-print servers, scientists authoring e-prints, or
researchers accessing e-prints. This study examines a sample of e-prints
randomly selected from three e-print servers to ascertain e-print authors'
type and country of employment, level of collaboration, citation of other
e-prints, level of publication in traditional, peer-reviewed or letters
journals, and eventual transformation of e-prints into refereed
publications. Author Keywords: e-prints, preprints, scientific
communication, electronic publishing, scholarly publishing
KeyWords Plus:
HIGH-ENERGY PHYSICS, JOURNALS, COMMUNICATION, LIBRARIANS, SCIENCES, SERIALS,
ACCESS, IMPACT, COSTS
Addresses:
Manuel K, New Mexico State Univ, Box 30006 MSC 3475, Las Cruces, NM 88003
USA
New Mexico State Univ, Las Cruces, NM 88003 USA
Publisher:
HAWORTH PRESS INC, BINGHAMTON
IDS Number:
544BF
ISSN:
0194-262X
Cited Author Cited Work Volume Page
Year
WEB SERVER STAT 2000
*NAT RES COUNC BITS POW ISS GLOB AC 1997
ARTUS H C P 1 INT C GREY LIT 1994
AUGER CP INFORMATION SOURCES 2000
BAHR AH COLL RES LIBR 61 410 2000
BEDERSON B INTR APS E PRINT WOR 1994
BLUME H AM PROSPECT 11 2000
BOYCE PB COLL RES LIB NEWS 61 404 2000
BOYCE PB COLL RES LIB NEWS 61 414 2000
BRADLEY D ALCHEMIST 0614 1999
BRAUN T SCI INDICATORS 332 C 1985
BRENT D INFORMATION SOC 11 275 1995
BURKE M COLL RES LIB NEWS 61 21 2000
CARROLL BC C P 1 INT C GREY LIT 1994
CRANE D INVISIBLE COLL DIFFU 1972
CRAWFORD SY PRINT ELECT TRANSFOR 1996
DALLMAN D INTERLEND DOC SUPPLY 22 3 1994
DORE JC J AM SOC INFORM SCI 47 588 1996
DOTY P P 54 ASIS ANN M 28 24 1991
DOW RF COLL RES LIBR 61 146 2000
EDGE D HIST SCI 17 102 1979
EYSENBACH G CURR OPIN IMMUNOL 12 499 2000
GARFIELD E CITATION INDEXING IT 1979
GINSPARG P COMPUTATION PHYSICS 8 390 1994
GINSPARG P INTEGRATING NAVIGATI 2000
GINSPARG P SERIALS LIBR 30 83 1997
GOULD CG INFORMATION NEEDS SC 1991
GRIFFITH BC SCH COMMUNICATION BI 1990
GUTERMAN L CHRONICLE HIGHER ED 2000
HALPERN JY ACM J COMPUTER DOCUM 24 41 2000
HANISH B PANEL DISCUSSION CUR 1994
HARNAD S D LIB MAGAZINE DEC 5 1999
HARNAD S INFORMATION SOC 11 285 1995
HARNAD S P 1993 INT C REF EL 1993
HARNAD S SERIALS LIBR 30 73 1997
HARNAD S SERIALS REV 21 78 1995
HARTER SP J AM SOC INFORM SCI 51 940 2000
HOLTKAMP A PANEL DISCUSSION CUR 1994
KELLY JA B MED LIBR ASSOC 86 68 1998
KING BT PANEL DISCUSSION TRA 1994
KINNE O AUSTR LIBR J 48 311 1999
KREITZ PA PUBLISH RES Q 13 24 1997
LANGER J PHYS TODAY 1 53 35 2000
LIM E AUSTR ACAD RES LIB 27 21 1996
LUCE RE COLL RES LIB NEW MAR 61 184 2000
LUZI D INTERLEND DOC SUPPLY 26 130 1998
MCGINTY S GATEKEEPERS KNOWLEDG 1999
MEADOWS AJ COMMUNICATING RES 1998
MENZEL H ANN REV INFORMATION 1 41 1966
ODLYZKO A TECHNOLOGY SCH COMMU 1999
PAISLEY W COMMUN RES 16 701 1989
PESKIN ME REORGANISATION APS J 1994
PFANDER J COLL RES LIBR 61 26 1999
PIKOWSKY RA SERIALS LIBR 32 31 1997
POSNETT NW J INFORM SCI 5 121 1982
QIN J J AM SOC INFORM SCI 48 893 1997
QUINN F PUBLISH RES Q 11 20 1995
RESH V SCI COMMUNICATION 1998
RZEPA H INTERNET GUIDE CHEM 1996
SINGLETON A SERIALS LIBR 30 149 1997
STANKUS T MAKING SENSE J PHYSI 1992
STANKUS T SCI TECH LIBR 18 21 1999
TOMALUOLO NG SEARCHER 8 53 2000
VALAUSKAS EJ E SERIALS PUBLISHERS 1998
VANDESOMPEL H D LIB MAGAZINE FEB 2000
WALSH JP INFORMATION SOC 12 343 1996
YOUNGEN GK COLL RES LIBR 59 448 1998
YOUNGEN R SERIALS LIBR 28 129 1996
EXCERPT FROM PAPER (FIGURES 7 AND 8 NOT INCLUDED)
Conclusions:
As estimates place the number of e-prints posted annually at 12,000 (G.
Youngen 1998, 449), it would be premature to conclude too much from findings
based on a sample of 300 e-prints, a mere 2.5% of annual e-print output(22).
Additionally, this was a random sample and a weighted sample might have
been more beneficial in assessing the behavior of representative e-print
authors. Nevertheless, certain trends emerging from these findings deserve
mention. Because these findings correspond to what was known of preprint
authorship, or predictable of e-print authorship, it seems safe to conclude
that :
o e-prints are not being transformed into peer-reviewed journal articles at
a rate higher than that at which preprints were transformed. That is, only
50-60% of e-prints directly and clearly result in journal articles.
o because not all e-prints are submitted to or approved by peer-reviewed
publications, there probably are grounds for worrying that e-prints could,
potentially, leave "bad versions" of papers accessible in the public arena
(Lim 1996, 26). This is not to say that all e-prints that do not result in
peer-reviewed publications represent "bad" science; authors may choose to
make the e-prints' contents the basis for sections in publications on
broader topics, may re-direct their research interests, or may be prevented
by external circumstances from following up on research. However, while
scientists currently researching in an e-print's field may be well equipped
to detect "bad" research, e-prints are also accessible to students,
researchers in other fields, and the public, "who are in [no] position to
judge [e-prints'] acceptability" (Meadows 1998, 204) but must instead rely
upon the peer-review process to screen information for them.
o any peer-reviewed articles resulting from an e-print can be expected
to appear within 6-12 months of the e-print's posting.
o e-prints often result from collaborations, including international
collaborations, but that e-prints are not yet being produced in large
numbers by authors from developing countries.
o notes on e-prints indicating the journal to which an article was
submitted or by which an article was accepted do not always correctly
indicate the journal in which the article was actually published.
Bibliographic control of e-prints is currently limited (Carroll and Cotter
1994, 6).
o e-prints do not seem to be lessening the amount of traditional,
peer-reviewed publications because e-print authors often publish
extensively, even if they do not always transform particular e-prints into
peer-reviewed journal articles.
A fundamental question raised by the global accessibility of c-prints on
servers concerns the boundary between formal and information communication,
a distinction that has been at the heart of most studies of scientific
communication (e.g., Griffith 1990, 40).23 Those concerned about c-prints'
proliferation often emphasize c-prints' status as informal,
non-peer-reviewed communication (Dow 2000, 152), and journal articles'
status as formal, peer-reviewed communication (Van de Sompel and Lagoze
2000). Otto Kinne, for example, cautions that e-prints are "fine for speedy,
low cost communication of an informal sort" but the boundaries of formal and
informal should not be blurred (1999, 316), with non-peer-reviewed e-prints'
being substituted for peer-reviewed journal articles. Unfortunately, the
distinction between formal and informal communication is being rendered
obsolete by electronic forms of self-publication,24 which effectively
"whitewash[ I' this intrinsically 'grey literature' so that it becomes
public/published the day it leaves the author's desk" (Daliman, Draper, and
Schwarz 1994, 3). What this will mean for the continuation-or
metamorphosis-of peer-reviewed publications and e-prints is an open
question. Perhaps methods of peer-review for e-prints will be implemented.
In any case, continued scholarly attention needs to be paid to the blurring
of this boundary; the changing publication forms and roles that result
therefrom;25 and the resultant, emerging paradigms of scholarly and
scientific publishing.26 Many phenomena related to these changes remain
under-explored, especially upon an empirical basis.
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