– The purpose of this article is to present a viewpoint on the future of academic publishing. It is important for a traditional peer-reviewed academic journal that is focused on the future, particularly of post-secondary education, to be sensitive to the waters in which it swims and to sense how the climate is changing within the journal area and education as a whole.
– This is a viewpoint on the future of academic publishing.
– The rapid development of the Internet and the semantic Web is showing that: The traditional double-blind peer review process is changing to a variety of processes from both pre- and post-review to open reviews; open access is firmly established and growing; there is a shift in promotion/tenure towards more emphasis on teaching; the semantic Web is introducing changes in the impact value of journals in research and education, including the function of the institutions themselves.
– Islands of concentrated knowledge locked in Ivory Towers are now readily accessible, broadly changing how individuals gain and improve competencies and use of increasing, evolving knowledge bases.
– This article discusses the following: There is a growing alternative to the hegemony of the traditional publishers of journals even with the moderate response to open access. Basic knowledge as offered in institutions is becoming a commodity, the cost of which is asymptotically approaching zero; “Big Data” and the semantic engines on the Internet are amplifying the human capabilities of accessing, parsing and rapidly evaluating an increasing knowledge base, impacting research and education.
