The Changing Role of Periodicals in Scientific-Technical Communication

<jats:p> Specialized publication of scientific and technical journals during the 1970's showed marked growth in Europe and North America, was measurably stable in Africa and the Middle East, but was rising somewhat in the Asian-Pacific and Latin American-Caribbean regions. The number of journals in the basic sciences, the medical sciences, and technology-related industries continues to climb, worldwide, but the universal data-base on scientific periodicals remains fragmentary and needs completion. </jats:p><jats:p> Primary-source scientific journals are relatively few in number, in most languages, and current economic considerations suggest that this number will not rise significantly. Journals of popularization, on the other hand, continue to grow in number and variety. Audiovisual and electronic information technologies are making inroads into the domain long dominated by typography, but replacement of printed journals by electronic journals can be expected to remain problematic for reasons related to technology, budget, and distribution. Current specialization in primary- and secondary-source journals may gradually give way to consolidation of journals now serving highly focused, comparatively small audiences. </jats:p>