It may be old school thinking, but electronic publication really isn't
publication any more than someone passing out copies of a paper they printed
off just before a conference. On-line or electronic publications last only
as long as the websites where they are posted. When the websites disappear
or change formats, information from those sites is removed, lost, or
destroyed. In a few keystrokes, literally, whole volumes of electronically
'published' material can cease to be published any longer.
Another problem, or potential benefit, with electronically published
materials is that they can be modified. The idea is that such works don't
get modified of course, but it happens. Beneficially, this means that old
or incorrect data can be updated or corrected and so science should move
forward in a more productive manner. As such, the data from the source you
cite today may not be the same data that is there tomorrow. Somebody double
checks your work and finds out you don't have the correct information cited
and your work then looks sloppy, when in fact, you had the data correct when
you cited it.
In answer to Meadows' question as to whether on-line published material will
still be around in 70 years, I have trouble finding stuff that has
disappeared in less than seven months on the internet.
The internet is a great way to quickly disseminate ideas, especially if you
wish to get feedback on those ideas. The internet has not proven to be a
great way to store those ideas. Gugenheim would not be impressed with this
latter aspect.
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