A Journal Publishing Hybrid: Creating Electronic Pages for Pediatrics

Abstract

When extending an existing print journal on to the Internet, publishers have a number of options and face the challenges of managing unfamiliar types of change. New forms of scholarly communication must be learned or invented, unique potentialities constantly arise to test ingenuity and judgement, and rapid developments in technologies and standards disallow staid contemplation. This article is a case study of a unique approach to online journal publishing, one that showcases the complex interplay between a print journal and a Web-based extension and discusses some of the practical matters that publishers may encounter when moving all or part of a journal on to the Web. The purpose of this article is to detail the ramifications the development of the site had on an existing print biomedical journal, describe the problems encountered and decisions made as the site was developed, review the refinements made to both the Web site and the print journal as the model evolved, and explore the opportunities and risks inherent in this model and in Web-based journal publishing in general.