Scholarly Writers and the Time Capsule

This essay addresses academic communication in the information age from an author's perspective. It charts a conceptual framework for analyzing information technology change, and presents two potential scenarios (one incremental, the other comprehensive) of the magnitude of change that will shape the future of scholarly communication. While no firm implications are drawn for authors, the essay underscores the need for scholarly writers to understand and participate in discussions on the development and implementation of new information technologies that are likely to impact academic communication.