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Prologue

A proposal for E-biomed

(i) Submission to E-biomed through editorial boards

(ii) Submission to E-biomed through the general repository

Inherent and prospective benefits of E-biomed

Open access to scientific reports and assembly of personalized journals

Improved format for publication of modern biology

More rapid dissemination of scientific information

Reduced costs

Other possibilities

How do we guarantee equity in the new system?

How should E-biomed get started?

Summary

Addendum (June 20, 1999)

The core objectives of E-biomed

(I) Accessibility: To provide all potential readers with full electronic access to a wide body of life science literature, in a manner that is free of barriers, international in scope, and seamless in operation.

(ii) Flexibility: To use the full potential of electronic communication to present the findings of the scientific community in a fashion that promotes understanding, encourages discussion, and includes the entirety of relevant information.

(iii) "Evolvability": To design a system for electronic publication that is capable of evolving in a variety of directions, so that uncertainties about operation and governance can be resolved through experience.

Responses to the E-biomed proposal

Considering major concerns

Will E-biomed eliminate peer-review and existing journals?

Why won't E-biomed just achieve in a more complex way what some current journals are already doing through their own electronic publishing efforts?

Won't E-biomed encourage the deposition of vast quantities of valueless or erroneous information in a public repository?

Isn't E-biomed likely to be construed as a take-over by the U.S. government of an activity that should be international in character and belong in the private sector?

Won't E-biomed undermine the viability of scientific societies by depriving them of significant sources of income currently derived from subscriptions, membership fees, and advertising?

Won't E-biomed place the scientific community at risk of losing vast quantities of published data because of inadequate provisions for archiving?

Isn't E-biomed an inappropriate means for publishing clinical research?

How can the E-biomed Governing Board possibly keep track of thousands of reports in many participating journals?

Won't the screening process for unreviewed reports to be posted in the general E-biomed repository be unfair to those who lack appropriate "contacts"?

How will E-biomed avoid accentuating economic or language-based disparities in the access to the research literature?

Unresolved issues that require further study or can be resolved only through experience

How much will E-biomed cost?

How should funds be raised to pay for the expenses associated with electronic publishing of journals that provide peer review, editorial oversight, and redaction?

Who will hold the copyright to articles that appear within edited sites in E-biomed?

What should E-biomed be called? And what should be its disciplinary boundaries?

Coda