07-05-2012, 03:25 AM
Auke Wrote:No, it only exists as hard copy. All OMSA members receive the journal, and I think also non-members can purchase them.
No reason? I'd say JOMSA is a very good reason. An electronic publication will never get off the ground and will never be taken seriously. Not only is writing an article much more than just 'compiling' information from forum topics, how would you refer to your sources? "User Happydude3's posts in topic X on date Y"? How can you trust information from such a person? And how would future writers refer to your PDF? A printed work can be referenced to, is permanent and accessible, and its author's identity is known. I think the Internet's inherent anonymity and the general lack of adherence to academic standards are the main reasons that academic circles after all these years still look down on information from the Internet.
To be clear, I would take a printed publication over an electronic source any day for all the reasons above. However, why would I spend $50 per year on membership for a journal that, as you've pointed out, Auke, almost never prints anything related to my field of interest (Soviet)?
