Darwinism and the Internet

Stevan Harnad of the University of Southampton is urging the virtual overthrow of print journals. With Internet usage exploding, Harnad and a growing legion of scientists say the venerable scientific journals are just too slow. They are urging scientists to post research papers electronically first, and only then submit them to journals. Not surprisingly, the publications already are pulling up the drawbridge. On June 22, 1995, an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) will lay out its stance. According to NEJM, it will not consider articles previously published, including on the Internet. Other implications of publishing research electronically are discussed.