Editorial peer review for electronic journals: Current issues and emerging models

Abstract

This article reviews the evolution and growth of electronic journals, and describes the various emerging models of editorial peer review in an electronic environment. There is some debate about whether the traditional model of editorial peer review should be altered. Medicine, physics, and psychology are taking different approaches with editorial peer review in an electronic environment. This article summarizes several studies of peer review in an electronic environment. Studies to date have focused on attitudes toward electronic publications and citation patterns of electronic journals. Future trends and levels of acceptance of the new models are discussed.