[ARL-EJOURNAL] Disruptive Scholarship

[Gerry Mckiernan]

Disruptive Scholarship

As defined by the Wikipedia,  "[a] disruptive technology is a lower
performance or less expensive product or process that gains a foothold
in the low end, less demanding part of an existing market, and then
successively moves up-market through performance improvements until
finally displacing the market incumbents. Disruptive technologies are
usually introduced to the market by small startup enterprises."

The term Disruptive Technology was coined by Clayton M. Christensen and
described in his 1997 book The Innovator's Dilemma.

[MORE]
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_technology ]

In considering the nature of the Wiki [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki ] and the increasing  range of
applications
[ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/WikiBib.htm ], I have
begun to speculate further about the Wiki as *the*  platform for The
Next Generation e-Journal
[ http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/archive/0408/0173.html ] and the
transformation of the review process.

I hereby  invite Any and All of my Web Colleagues to Critically Review
the scenarios outlined below in which I sketch the probable future [:-)]
of scholarly communication, review, and publishing ['Disruptive
Scholarship'] in the WikiWorld.

Regards,

/Gerry

Gerry McKiernan
Disruptive Librarian
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck at iastate.edu

Presented for Your Consideration:

In view of its collaborative features and functionalities, and the
nature and character of alternative methods of quality management
outlined, the wiki environment (McKiernan 2005) could provide an
outstanding framework for preparing, editing, reviewing, assessing, and
publishing for a range of scholarly work, including manuscripts,
articles, journals, and monographs (Guest 2003).

In one possible wiki-based publication scenario, authors would prepare
a manuscript draft using locally-installed wiki engine software (or a
free or commercial wiki service) that best suits their needs or
preferences. In a first stage review, colleagues would be invited to
participate in a review of the draft.  At this stage, the author can
choose to allow first-stage reviewers to edit the text, or limit
participation to a discussion space.

At a second stage, known specialists in the field(s) covered by the
manuscript could be invited to review the revised first stage version.
As in the first stage review, second stage reviewers would be granted
open permission to edit the manuscript text, or be restricted to
commenting on its content.

At a third - and perhaps final stage - the author could request that
others (such members of a professional electronic discussion list)
review and edit and/or comment on the new, revised version.  After final
review, the revised final stage version could be locked from future
discussion or editing. The locking of the final version could constitute
formal publication of the work. Alternatively, the author/editor in
chief at some later time could unlock the published version and invite
any reader to discuss and/or edit it, thereby creating a 'living',
dynamic, potentially ever-changing-and improving document by doing so.

In this general scenario, there would be no editorial evaluation or
judgment of the initial or subsequent versions of an original manuscript
by an editor or editorial board; at each stage, the author would serve
as both author and editor in chief, and ultimately as publisher of
his/her work. The significance and value of the work would be based on a
variety of metrics that could include a matrix of such measures as
citation pattern, linking volume, and access statistics (McKiernan
2004).

REFERENCES
David G. Guest, "Four Futures for Scientific and Medical Publishing.
It's a Wiki Wiki World," BMJ 326 (April 26, 2003): 932. Available at
<http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/326/7395/932/a>
(9 January 2005).

Gerry McKiernan, "Peer Review in the Internet Age: Five (5) Easy
Pieces," Against the Grain 16, no. 3 (June 2004): 50, 52-55.
Self-archived at
[ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~gerrymck/FiveEasyPieces.pdf ](8
January 8, 2005).

Gerry McKiernan, "SandBox(sm). WikiBibliography," January 6, 2005
[ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/WikiBib.htm ] (9 January
2005).


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