THE UPTAKE OF ELECTRONIC JOURNALS BY THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY IN THE UK AND THEIR POTENTIAL IMPACT ON SCHOLARLY RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION

This paper reports on a survey carried out at the University of the West of England (UWE) into the use of electronic journals (e-journals) by academics and their attitudes towards them. The study is set within the context of the rapid expansion of e-journals and their potential impact on scholarly communication, and compared with previous user surveys reported in the literature. The findings suggest that while there is a high level of interest in, and acceptance of e-journals within the academic community, use of them is limited. Their impact on the role of the library is discussed