israelscholar.org/openaccess/archive/2006_12_01_archive -
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Published on: 12/1/2006
Last Visited: 12/1/2007
[M]ore scholars â€" particularly younger ones â€" are posting their research online before publishing it in refereed print journals, said [Sylvain Cappell, professor of mathematics at New York University]."It's an opportunity to get response and reaction from other frontline researchers."
The Internet, which has made the cost of distributing information virtually vanish, Mr. Cappell said, has also exacerbated the overlapping tensions of online versus print, open access versus paid, and refereed versus non-refereed.Formerly, editorial boards controlled the distribution of research results.Now, he said, "Electronics is bringing disintermediation to the world of research as much as to the world of travel agents."
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Still, "one could speculate that over time, the shift from print to electronic distribution of research results will shift the emphasis from refereeing to reviewing," Mr. Cappell said.In an electronic age of instantaneous delivery, he said, "there may be less an issue of control and more an issue of reception and reaction."...