THE WAVE OF THE PRESENT - THE PRINTED SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ON THE EDGE OF THE INTERNET

A senior editor reflects on his profession's purpose in the 'electroni c era' and reminds us that contemporary editors have an obligation to respond to the rise of electronic publishing seriously and critically, just as scholarly editors earlier established and now maintain essent ial critical standards for professional scholarship. The functions edi tors perform are seen to have continuing value irrespective of the med ium in which publications appear. The future of the editorial process is assured, because it is integral to the production of scholarship th at can be trademarked as proficient and dependable. Lately, the discou rse of proponents of online publishing has been moving towards precise ly the same conclusion.