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Scientific and Medical Journals on the Web
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Report #05-013
Publication Date: March 2005
Page Count: 230
Print Copy: $3,000 $500
Company-wide Electronic Copy (includes print copy): $4,500 $500
plus Data Set: an additional $1,000
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Our study Scientific and Medical Journals on the Web has evolved since 1998. Originally, it addressed whether or not Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM) publishers needed to have an online version of their journal, while in 2001 it shifted to what form that online journal should take, focusing on usability. This year’s report now explores how readers’ expectations have changed as well as new developments that are threatening the foundation on which traditional scholarly publishing rests.
Based on a 33-question survey of more than 1,900 scientific and medical professionals, this report re-examines readers’ expectations, preferences and needs as they relate to the use of Web-based journals. Specifically, it reveals trends in the ways online journals are found and accessed, the most acceptable ways to pay for access to online journals and why readers submit articles to specific journals. It also benchmarks readers’ satisfaction with 5 leading journals in terms of types of content, information features and searching capabilities. To explore new developments, the report includes discussions of open access publishing from the author’s perspective—including whether authors should be expected to pay a fee to publish their work, the effect of receiving payments on open access publishers’ acceptance rates and copyright issues.
Overall, this report will provide scientific and medical publishers with an invaluable step in gaining a better understanding of their readers and achieving online success.
The major objectives of this report are as follows:
Determine frequency of use and the ways in which scientists and clinicians find and access online journals.
Reveal the factors which scientists consider when deciding where to submit their papers.
Understand—from the user’s perspective—their level of satisfaction with various attributes associated with online journals.
Reveal the attributes of online journals deemed to be most important by scientists and clinicians.
Determine the most acceptable and effective ways to generate revenue from online journals through advertising and subscriptions.
Gain insights into how scientists and clinicians believe online journals should continue to evolve, including issues such as open access publishing and the use of CrossRef.
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