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thepurplestreak
thepurplestreak
Electronic publishing, of course
Jan 4 2007, 6:29 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 4 2007, 6:29 PM EST
This is Hilarie Orman. Of course the IACR should switch to electronic publishing with unfettered access.

I think that IACR will need to take additional care to preserve the electronic archive through replication and attention to drifts in data formats (it's now awkward to read old postscript docs), and we may need to print several paper copies for libraries (those that still have paper).

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motiyung
1. RE: Electronic publishing, of course
Dec 21 2008, 7:01 PM EST | Post edited: Dec 21 2008, 7:01 PM EST
Of course this is the direction: e-publications! Further, archiving is super-important!
But: provided that this will serve (and will not hurt) all our members.

The main issue is that formal publications and the scientific index (and other similar issues, that mostly have nothing to do with science itself), are taken as a "formal method" for evaluation of research by various bodies in many countries. Of course the objectivity of these measures is doubtful, and their methodology is archaic (at best). There are companies behind the index and publishers that have commercial interests, and while science requires wide unfettered access to publications, assessment of the publications is apparently needed as well. Namely, as long as scientific bodies like universities, academies of science and other administrators of science world wide, take formal publications that are cited by one index or another, it is upon IACR to make sure its publications are taken into account in the index and related lists (otherwise it is serving only the non-academic and US-academic communities only where the index and formal assessment is typically replaced by peer review letters). I would say we have to make sure the flagship conferences, workshops and journal need to be indexed by these forums. Alternatively, we may form our own index for "cryptographic research," but it has to be objective and done carefully, and needs to be recognized internationally. We have to serve all our members world wide first! (whereas morphing the "publication monopolies" allowing global "e-access" is highly important, but may need a lengthy fight and thus it comes second on my list!) Do you find this valuable?