Electronic journals and scholarly communication

Recent developments in information communication technologies, more particularly the advent of Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) have greatly influenced scholarly communication. There has been a shift from traditional print journals to electronic journals (e-journals). The surge in e-journals publishing was caused when libraries and individuals scholars began accessing information resources on the WWW in the mid 1990s. The shift from the paper to digital form has affected the traditional alignment and the role of the primary stakeholders – mainly scholars, universities, libraries and publishers. This paper gives a brief review of the history of scholarly journals followed by evolution of e-journals. Focuses on scholarly communication and discusses the role of e-journals therein. Examines the role of current players – scholars, universities, libraries and publishers in the field, and the environment of conflict among them. Discusses attempted resolution of the conflict through various journal publishing models emerging from library co-operative efforts and consortia approaches. Concludes that the current approaches will lead to scholarly communication becoming less commercialized.