THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS OF ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING IN CRYSTALLOGRAPHY. Edward N Maslen, Crystallography Centre, University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6907, Australia

Crystallographic information can be transmitted electronically at spectacular rates, allowing brief synopses to transform into detailed documents at the click of a mouse. Irksome restrictions on diagrams and tables could be eliminated. Automatic checking of data helps editors and referees to reduce errors, while those that escape detection could be corrected a posteriori. New information standards such as SGML, the Standard Graphics Markup Language, are designed to meet the evolving requirements of electronic publications. Users familiar with SGML could customise published information to suit their own needs. The possible benefits from new technology in crystallographic publishing are many and varied.

New technology can also enhance a publisher's ability to earn a living by providing improved service, but success will require the capacity to foresee the effects of change. Wrong guesses will mean investing in outmoded technology. The standard rules for good management in uncertain times apply. It is unwise to cut options unnecessarily. Because each stage in publishing has its overheads, stages should be as few as possible. Undertake full time tasks that require limited capital in-house. Sub-contract tasks that require expensive facilities on a part time basis. Assess demand, cost, and the rate at which users adapt before changing technology.

Is refereeing for electronic publishing of scientific information necessary, or should authors simply make their work accessible for comment on the network? The answer may well differ for different types of crystallographic publication. Un-refereed crystallographic data lacks the credibility derived from rigorous scrutiny. Publishers must determine which needs they are able to accommodate, and how best to meet those needs. They must disseminate information on networks that are under strain as electronic publishing increases. The capacity of critical nodes, such as the inter-continental optical fibre links, is increasing, but will it outpace the growth in demand? What protocols and technologies are likely to dominate can be assessed only for times that are short by publishing standards. Electronic publishers will survive or die in exciting times.