Consumer Issues and the Scholarly Journal
Abstract: This paper discusses the new electronic approach to scholarly publishing from the perspective of the consumer. Based on a survey of Germanists in Canada, it suggests that while most scholars are receptive to electronic journals, the majority give them only qualified support. The main stumbling block is the perception that e-journals publish what paper journals won't. At the heart of the problem is the perception that electronic publications do not undergo a rigorous refereeing process. The paper makes recommendations that will enhance the credibility of the electronic medium while it is still in its infancy.
Résumé: Cet article adopte le point de vue du consommateur afin de discuter de la nouvelle approche électronique dans l'édition savante. Se fondant sur un sondage de germanistes au Canada, il suggère que, même si la plupart des savants sont ouverts à l'idée d'un journal électronique, la majorité ne lui donneraient qu'un appui conditionnel. L'obstacle principal, tel que le révèle le sondage, est la perception que les journaux électroniques acceptent ce qu'aucun journal publié ne daignerait accepter. Le sondage révèle en outre que, au coeur du problème, il y a la perception que les publications électroniques ne sont pas soumises à un processus de sélection rigoureux. Cet article conclut avec des recommandations pour augmenter la crédibilité du médium électronique pendant qu'il est encore dans sa petite enfance.
Introduction
Very seldom do scholars stop and consider their journals as consumer products. The fact is that the academic journal is not above the stormy waters of a market-driven economy. A journal survives by providing a product that is used by a group of consumers who in turn value the product enough to support the journal in a compensatory fashion. This is true whether the journal is produced by a scholarly society on a non-profit basis or by a for-profit private concern. Support for the journal must be demonstrated, otherwise it will not continue to be produced.
The following paper provides a cross-section of opinion regarding the desirability and implementation of electronic journals within German Studies in Canada. (German Studies in this case does not refer to a specific niche, but includes all aspects of German language, literature, and cultural studies.)
In comparison with other disciplines, "Germanistik" is very conservative and traditional in nature. The pool of possible respondents used in this study is perhaps more resistant to change than one might find in many other disciplines. While Germanists have proven themselves very innovative in the area of language teaching, the matter of how research is disseminated still remains firmly entrenched in the paper culture. It is with this attitude in mind that one must understand the results of this survey.
The survey results
Of the 128 who were sent questionnaires, 26% responded. Only one response was removed from the pool. It read: "I guess an electronic questionnaire is what counts as research in the electronic age." This response could easily serve as a summation of how many -- actually about 58% of Germanists who responded to this survey -- feel about using electronic journals in their professional lives. However, no other put it quite so eloquently or, perhaps better, said it in such a typically Teutonic manner.
Age differences
The other respondents did, however, provide interesting and at times lengthy feedback on their concerns in dealing with this newest way of accessing and communicating knowledge. In fact, upon analysis, some of the results were surprising. For example, they showed that those who are most sceptical about e-journals are not necessarily older colleagues -- those with more than 20 years in the profession -- but rather those with between 11 and 20 years. This was unexpected, but it provides important information when one considers who needs to be convinced of the necessity of moving scholarly communication into the electronic age. Those who had just begun their careers and those still in graduate programs showed little reservation towards electronic journals. Those in the latter years of their careers approached the electronic journal as a novelty or plaything. Those in the middle years of their career seemed to think the e-journal was simply another imposition.
Subscription frequency and use
Statistics concerning subscription frequency and journal use are also revealing. On average, Canadian Germanists subscribe to 4.1 paper journals each. However, they claim to read or use 5.2 journals on a regular basis. The statistics for electronic journals are considerably lower, with a subscription rate of 0.7. This figure is somewhat skewed in that many subscribe to no e-journals at all, while those who do seldom subscribe to only one. In fact, according to this survey 63% of Germanists in Canada do not subscribe to any e-journals. It must also be noted that the number of electronic journals used versus subscription frequency is consistent with those for paper journals. Only 0.8 electronic journals were used per respondent compared with the 0.7 subscription rate.
Reading habits
The statistics concerning the reading habits of Germanists in this study also reveal unexpected results. Respondents tended to subscribe to the journals they use. Only 20% of the journal material they employ in research and teaching is found in their university libraries; the rest they have in their offices -- Germanists tend to have their own copies of the tools of their trade. While one of the most important functions of a university library is to collect the journals necessary for research conducted at that university, the survey results indicate this is not the case for Germanists.
A number of factors might explain this. Because of the relative size of German departments in Canadian universities, their journals budgets are smaller than other disciplines, even though a comparable amount of material is published. Therefore it has been necessary for Germanists to rely on their own resources for access to journals, which has not been the case with many other larger disciplines.
Research support
The small number of journals specific to Germanistik held by university libraries in Canada limits the research that can be conducted. This problem could be alleviated by the economies afforded by the electronic format. A solid core of Germanistik e-journal users already exists in Canada -- over one third of the respondents to this survey, in any case. Unfortunately, unless the presentation and delivery of electronic journals change, this number is not likely to grow.
Affordability
The cost of subscribing to Germanistik-related journals is also significant. The great majority of journals are produced by societies that rely on volunteerism to make their products affordable. While a scientific or medical journal might cost thousands of dollars per subscription, this is not the case in Germanistik. For example, membership in the Canadian Association of University Teachers of German costs $50. With the membership comes a subscription to Seminar, a journal that is consistently ranked in the top journals supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Resistance
For this reason, one can also understand why there might be some resistance to electronic journals. One of the main reasons for considering electronic publishing is cost. In the case of Germanistik, and one might easily generalize in this case to include all of the humanities, savings are not significant, and the initial outlay of capital for the conversion to an electronic format would take too long to recover.
Augmenting paper journals with electronic versions
An analysis of the journal-reading patterns of Germanists, regardless of what they might think of electronic journals, is, however, a compelling argument for augmenting the current paper journals with electronic versions. When asked about their reading habits, 89% of respondents said that they skimmed the contents of journals and read an article if it seemed of interest. The remaining 11% skimmed the contents, read the articles that seemed of interest, and then proceeded to read all of the book reviews. In essence, the journal served the function of a scholarly index and in many respects was used in the same way that one might use a search engine on the World Wide Web. While one cannot make an economic argument for electronic journals in Germanistik, one can certainly argue the efficiency of the electronic medium over paper.
Prestige of electronic journals
In addition to collecting data on how Germanists use, or do not use, the scholarly journal, information on how they regard the position of the electronic journal within their scholarly community was recorded. While only 36% of Germanists subscribed to or used electronic journals, 58% said they would be willing to submit an article to such a journal. (In reaching this figure, I disqualified those who responded in a non-committal way.) While the users of e-journals are not yet the majority, it would appear that the majority are willing to give qualified support to the idea of "electronic" scholarship.
This addresses an issue that is seldom broached in the context of scholarly journals and their function within the academic community. One of the main purposes of academic publishing as extrapolated from the responses to this survey is not so much the issues that are dealt with in a given article, but the value publication has in building an impressive CV for the purposes of tenure and promotion. Resistance to electronic publishing might stem from the fact that research findings will be exposed to a wider audience, providing potential for greater scrutiny and attack. In addition, the searchability of the World Wide Web means more difficulty in recycling old articles and receiving academic credit twice for the same work.
Respondents' concerns
In addition to specific questions, respondents were given the opportunity to comment on the answers they gave. Seventy-two percent of those who said that they would accept information that came from an electronic source also stated that they had some reservations.
Verification
Twenty-seven percent of the respondents said that they were unsure how to verify cited information. Their primary concern was how to find information cited by someone else -- a concern that results from the lack of standardization in electronic journals. When dealing with a paper journal, a citation will take the reader to within a paragraph or two of where the reference can be found. While one could counter-argue that the search functions available today make it easier to verify information obtained from an electronic source, a large number of colleagues view this as too much work.
Another 45% would only accept the citation if they knew that a peer-review process was in place to ensure the reliability of the information being used. While certainly some electronic sources are almost beyond reproach, the proliferation of electronic sources may have the effect of calling even the most reputable electronic journals into question.
Changing URLs
Another concern raised by 21% of the respondents was that the virtual journal was simply too "virtual." For many, the journal -- electronic or otherwise -- does not exist until it is printed on paper. A connected problem is that the e-journal seems to move around too much. A change in an URL constitutes, as far as many readers are concerned, a physical move, which undermines the journal's credibility. If one is never sure that the address cited this week will allow a subsequent reader to access the same information next week, then there is reason to be suspicious of the citation in the first place. Germanists surveyed in this study will not cite or accept information they cannot verify easily. While this point might be turned aside by the confident computer user, the unsure user will most likely remain sceptical of information that does not appear to have any permanence, or that has, at the very least, a short shelf life.
Reliability
The gravest concern respondents had about electronic journals was the reliability of information. When allowed to comment freely on the concept of the electronic journal, 68% mentioned this issue. Some representative comments follow:
- "Is the material authentic, reliable, and quotable?"
- "[Electronic journals] are not recognized yet institutionally. They have an extreme virtual existence."
- "[They are] not refereed, [are held in] low esteem, [and] lack durability."
- "[They have] very uneven credibility."
- "Consumers are very wary about quality. What will my peers think? Print journals still have more prestige."
- "[There] is no control of quality. Too many articles [that have been] rejected elsewhere appear in e-journals."
Whether these comments are fact or fiction is unimportant. Journals sell perceived prestige and perceived esteem. Respondents associated little prestige or esteem with the material that is available electronically. Of greater concern is that the above comments are not from those who do not accept e-journals as legitimate, but from those who are willing to give the electronic medium a chance. In fact, the majority of the above comments were taken from respondents who embrace electronic journals as a useful tool. It is clear that something must be done to bolster the image of the e-journal before it can be accepted on par with paper-based journals.
Graduate students' perspective
A further question to be considered when looking at the scholarly journal and its role in academic life is how it is viewed by graduate students. Whereas academics with tenured or tenure-track positions look at the scholarly journal primarily as a means of building careers and reputations, graduate students use it to acquire careers in the first place. Initially, it was thought that graduate students' usage patterns would vary from those of their mentors, but the results indicated this is only true to an extent. Graduate students, while subscribing to less than one journal each on average, are the big users of the libraries -- they access and read a far greater number of journals than their teachers. They are in the business of acquiring a reliable repertoire of sources for their dissertations and their hoped-for careers. For them, the major problem is the sheer volume of material that they need to digest.
However, in this survey, students were the smallest group of e-journal users. Despite the fact that they all have computer accounts and are familiar with the computer, the Internet, and the World Wide Web, they are concerned that citing an electronic source will put the quality of their dissertations in question. They are unwilling to gamble their careers on the possibility that someone on their dissertation committee will not like citations of electronic sources. This problem will only be resolved when electronic journals are more widely accepted.
Future considerations
The survey results lead to the following conclusions, some of which are already part of the electronic scholarly journal debate.
Electronic journals in smaller disciplines
Libraries, to the extent that they collect periodicals for the smaller disciplines, do not provide sufficient journal material to support effective research in these disciplines. (Many professors already collect this material on their own.) Germanists, and in this case all academics, spend a great deal of time skimming journals looking for sources of information, spending hours doing what a computer could do with far greater accuracy in seconds. These two issues can be addressed by making the move to digitized journals. This is not to say that every back issue needs to be in an electronic format, just those that are recognized within disciplines as being the most important.
Scholars' responsibility
Scholars will need to take greater responsibility for communicating the results of their research. Perhaps the humanities serves as a model. Right now, in the production of paper-based or electronic journals the author must do a great deal of the work in document preparation to create camera-ready copy. Coupled with electronic publishing, the university community has an economical means of producing journals. The document can be posted directly to a WWW site at little additional cost. An article appearing in a paper journal incurs the added cost of printing and distribution. Electronic publishing allows the producers of scholarship to retain ownership of that which they have created. If the electronic alternative is not taken, journals will continue to concern themselves more with the corporate bottom line than scholarly excellence and academic concerns.
The perception of instability
Electronic journals appear to move around too much and give the impression of being too unstable. This must be remedied. We will need to insist that electronic journals' URLs do not change or give the appearance of changing. This is something that can be achieved if users insist that the operators of our networks not constantly change addresses.
Standardized formats
A major impediment to the acceptance of the e-journal is lack of a standardized format. One would certainly not want to argue against healthy diversity, but, if too much diversity continues in the formatting of electronic journals, then the greater academic community will not accept this new medium, despite the efficiencies it offers. A national committee should be struck to develop a set of formatting guidelines for electronic journals. In doing so, Canadian universities could take the lead internationally in the development of the electronic journal as a reliable means of exchanging knowledge.
Credibility
Electronic journals have not yet established credibility within the scholarly community because they lack much of what lends prestige to a journal. The most important is the appearance of a reliable system of checks, which ensures the information's reliability. The information must not only be reliable but it must also appear to be reliable. Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of hypertext markup language (HTML) and a little bit of money can post an "article" on the World Wide Web. While it may be easy to determine the reliability of material that appears on a Web site upon reading it, it takes too much time to separate all of the grain from the chaff given the proliferation of information that appears on the Web. This results in legitimate scholarly work being lost in the noise of cybertrash. As long as it remains an impediment to the broad acceptance of the electronic medium as a reliable means of publishing research, electronic journals will need to promote how they ensure the reliability of the research they publish.
Safeguards to ensure the scholarly value of an electronic journal are one thing, academics' belief that a rigorous refereeing process is in place is quite another. The fact is that the majority of Germanists in the survey (68%) believe that the scholarship published in today's electronic journals is second rate or even third rate, undergoing little or questionable peer review. To gain credibility in the scholarly community, electronic journals need to demonstrate their value as scholarly tools.
This should be approached in two ways. Existing journals should be encouraged to produce electronic versions of their current offerings and eventually their back issues as well. Financial and technical incentives should be offered that will enable these journals to make the transition to the electronic format. In the long term, a saving should be realized. While e-journals that are offshoots of prestigious paper journals will have little trouble making the transition to the electronic format, a greater difficulty will be encountered by those that do not have a prestigious paper-based parallel. As soon as possible, these journals need to establish credibility and demonstrate that they will not simply publish other journals' rejects.
A voluntary accreditation system should be introduced for electronic journals. This system would be comprised of a committee that investigates individual publishing practices. It would ensure the reliability of the research that is published. Such a committee would not dictate the content of a given journal, but it would grant accreditation on the basis of the journal's refereeing process, accessibility, and format.
The accreditation committee should also audit the accredited journals on an annual basis to ensure the continued quality of the journal. In this way, scholars would be more likely to support and use electronic journals, because they could rely on a minimum standard based on its accreditation.
Conclusion
There is no question that the scholarly journal will undergo a great deal of change over the coming years. It might be in order to rethink what the scholarly journal really is. The results of the survey are conclusive on this point -- scholarly journals are little more than databases. Journal users treat them in exactly the same way that one might treat any database -- with a concern for reliability, value, and consistency.