Communication Teacher Online:
Issues for Success

Lawrence W. Hugenberg
Editor, Communication Teacher
Youngstown State University

Having just completed my first full year as Editor of the Communication Teacher (formerly Speech Communication Teacher), I have an enhanced understanding of two of the many aspects about the role of editor. First, I want to emphasize the importance of working with authors and developing their ideas into teaching ideas suitable for inclusion in the Communication Teacher (CT). This idea is self-explanatory and any editor of any journal in any discipline would say the same thing upon completion of their first year. Second, and perhaps most importantly, I see the value of taking this publication on line. In fact, the National Communication Association (NCA) targeted CT as their first quarterly publication to be on line. The on line availability of CT will begin with the first edition next year, set for electronic and print publication in the fall of 1999. There are, however, important issues surrounding transforming this, or any, publication from print to on line.

Issues for Communication Teacher On Line

The most important issue in this transformation is the accessibility of the on line publication for traditional subscribers of CT. Traditional subscribers to CT consist mainly of communication educators at high schools, colleges and universities. It is important that this core set of subscribers to CT have the personal and/or institutional computer resources readily available for continued use of the teaching ideas and other communication materials in CT. An ancillary concern is the comfort level of these traditional subscribers to a change in delivery systems. Initially, CT will be available in both media -- print and electronic. The long range goal is to take this publication to a completely on line publication, although no specific time line has been created for achieving this goal. The eventual time line depends on, among other things, how quickly traditional subscribers attain comfort with the electronic medium and an evaluation of the electronic delivery system by NCA and the editor. Once CT goes on line this fall, efforts will be made to assess how comfortable subscribers are to viewing and using the teaching ideas in an on line form. Although we expect the response to be favorable (for some of the benefits discussed later), initially there will likely be resistance to the changes.

A second issue is a more practical one. The National Communication Association needs to identify an easy way of restricting access to CT to only on line subscribers. Although the technology currently exists to create these restrictions, subscribers need to feel comfortable that they are getting the same value with their on line subscription that they did with their print subscription. A quick and easy system of helping subscribers gain electronic access to the journal is essential to the long range success as an on line publication. A technical support staff will have to work with a subscriber when she or he is denied access. Anticipating potential difficulties along these lines is important, but there will be problems that no one could have thought of ahead of time. Each of these problems will have to be worked out to keep the subscriber-customer pleased with and subscribing to the journal.

A third issue is the professional identity of the journal within the community of communication scholars. Efforts have been undertaken over the past year to enhance the image of CT as an important NCA publication. Let me summarize some of the parts of this transformation CT is undergoing. This first component of this transformation is the change in name from Speech Communication Teacher to Communication Teacher. This change broadens the scope of the journal -- at least in the eyes of potential authors and subscribers. The scope is perceptually more inclusive of all aspects of communication instruction beyond just "speech" instruction. A second component of this transition is a change in design and publication specifications. A new masthead is being designed, new paper stock will replace the current glossy paper, and we will move away from the use of blue ink. All of this will be initiated with the Fall 1999 edition.

Simultaneously, there is an extended effort to make CT more visible within the discipline. One element of this effort is the creation of an on line index to all teaching ideas published since the journal's first edition in the fall of 1985. The index is complete and will appear, if it hasn't already, on line with access through NCA's home page [http://www.natcom.org]. The CT index includes the goal statements for each teaching idea so the on line user can discover more about the idea than merely seeing the title and knowing the author's name. This index will be edited with the immediate addition of articles printed in each new edition. At the same time, we are attempting to solicit teaching resources that will be reviewed and included in an on line teachers' resource site, again accessible through NCA's home page. These teaching resources (sample syllabi, student handouts, etc.) will be reviewed prior to inclusion by an editorial staff.

A fourth issue, related to the third issue, is the professional identity of CT. It is imperative that all potential submitters to and users of CT understand that the current strict editorial processes will be in place for all on line entries -- whether in the journal or on the teachers' resource site. Each manuscript currently submitted to CT is reviewed by three members of the editorial board. The editor uses these reviews to make an editorial decision and works with the authors of accepted manuscripts to get it ready for publication. These strict editorial processes will remain intact for the on line journal as well. In fact, there has to be even more emphasis placed on the review process for on line publications to avoid any negative effects on the credibility of all manuscripts published CT.

A final problem is how to make any electronic journal available to libraries. Libraries are accustomed to receiving hard copies of journals to place on shelves for the inspired scholar. Making the transition to electronic journals will have to be carefully coordinated with library staffs; perhaps through professional library associations. On the bright side, for those of us interested in electronic journals, is the fact that libraries currently subscribe to electronic data bases that students and faculty access through terminals in libraries. A similar system would seemingly work for electronic journals -- but it will take careful planning and prudent implementation by editors, representatives of professional associations and libraries. If a library subscribes to an electronic journal, the computer terminals in that library would have to have unfettered access to the journal. This process would be similar to the current library practice of subscribing to a journal and placing the hard copy in the reference room.

Each of these issues is or will be addressed by the editor and the staff at NCA for CT and other NCA journals. The support of the NCA staff with all the composition and publication changes with CT, with the creation of the on line version of CT, and the additional teachers' resource site has been excellent. Moving to an electronic journal requires more than the will or dedication of an editor -- it takes a receptive core of subscribers, a discipline comfortable with and supportive of technology, and the willingness and efforts of the association's staff to make it all possible.

The Benefits for On Line Access to Communication Teacher

There are numerous benefits for the reader and the professional association to going to an on line publication of CT. I will enumerate the most important issues as briefly as possible.

First, authors and editors will be able to circumvent current publication restrictions associated with the length of submitted and accepted manuscripts. For the print version of CT, articles, with rare exception, are limited to between 1200 to 1500 words. This emphasis on brevity for these manuscripts is dictated by the journal's policy of trying to print as many teaching ideas in each issue of the 16-page publication as possible. This word count places, at times, restrictions on potential authors, authors of accepted manuscripts, the editorial board, and the editor. As we can all attest, sometimes teaching ideas need more lengthy explanation to make their utility clear.

At the same time, some teaching ideas require the inclusion of student handouts to make the exercise clear to the potential user. With the current restrictions of the print medium, some good teaching ideas are not published due to their length. Even worse, these print restrictions might deter a prospective author from even submitting her or his ideas because it cannot be explained adequately in 1200 to 1500 word limit. With the on line publication of CT, the length of a teaching idea becomes less significant. It seems that eliminating artificially-created page limitations on manuscripts is a tremendous advantage for this, and other, on line publications.

A second benefit is created by the elimination of the print restrictions outlined above. Users of the teaching ideas will be able to download information and/or forms for more immediate classroom use. Currently, if there is a handout printed in CT, the instructor has to retype the information into a useful format to her or his teaching strategies. The electronic format will likely increase the use of these excellent teaching ideas in the classroom.

A third advantage is the ultimate elimination of waiting to publish an article for the next edition or having an article ready for print but the edition is already full. As articles are reviewed and accepted, they can be made available to subscribers immediately in electronic form. Some authors of articles revised for publication in CT wait up to nine months to have an article in print. Although authors know their article will be published eventually, there is nothing quite like seeing your work in print. The on line publication of articles makes this gratification for the author more immediate. Having immediate access to published research and scholarship is also an advantage to the scholar seeking the most current scholarship on a topic. Therefore, any journal going on line could make manuscripts available to the reader as soon as they are "cleared" for publication. Even for those scholars wanting a hard copy of research to read and mark up, they will be able to download and print electronic journal articles once located on line.

An associated benefit for editors will be the ability to create special issues of a publication. Many journals have special editions dedicated to a special topic. When journal editors decide to create a special issue, it has to fit into the normal print publication cycle of the journal. A special issue uses one of the issues for publication of other accepted submissions. For example, the Fall 1999 issue of CT will be dedicated to teaching ideas related to diversity in the communication classroom. There will be no other articles printed in that edition. This is already creating a backlog of articles for future editions of CT. With an electronic journal, a special issue could be developed outside any "normal" publication cycle; thus not creating a backlog of manuscripts awaiting publication in print form. A special edition, in electronic form, could be posted when it is completed in addition to a journals normal publication cycle.

Electronic publication combined with some creativity by an editor could actually make more research results available to the community of scholars. The sponsoring organization receives a benefit from on line publication of their journals. Sponsoring organizations of on line publications will eventually realize a cost savings. An immediate cost savings is the elimination of the current high printing, handling and postage costs of each journal. Although there are initial set up costs associated with on line publication, they will be recovered by the organization in a short period of time.

Conclusion

As editor of CT, I am excited about the prospects of the on line publication of the accepted teaching ideas. One reason I am excited is CT is the beta test in NCA for on line publication of its journals. When offered the opportunity to be the first NCA journal to go on line, I jumped at the opportunity. The benefits, in my estimation, far outweigh any of the issues outlined above and problems to be encountered through the transition from print to electronic publication.

In the future, professional associations need to resist the temptation to support both electronic and printed versions of a publication. During the initial transitions to electronic publication, an association might have to keep both electronic and print versions. However, professional associations need to go to an all electronic version as quickly as possible. I do not believe to many associations can afford to support an electronic journal and a print journals. Even though CT will be available both electronically and in print, my long range goal is to go to the on line version exclusively.

I am not willing to predict the death of journals in traditional print form. For almost a decade, there have been predictions that hard copies of textbooks will be eliminated because it will be easier and cheaper to place textbooks on line. If my experiences are similar to other faculty when considering a textbook for adoption, I am always handed or mailed a hard copy of the textbook. I have never encountered a publisher who indicated to me that the way to look at their text for consideration is on the world wide web. The same fate will likely great the vast majority of scholarly journals -- they will remain in hard copy for years to come. Arguments to keep journals in hard copy will be supported by a variety of reasons.

Finally, I feel safe predicting that more and more professional journals will become available increasingly in electronic form (and only in electronic form). The issues facing professional organizations are how to reach this goal with the least amount of disruption to each subscriber. As NCA and I move to the on line publication of CT, we are addressing the issues raised earlier in this essay and we will hopefully be ready to address any unexpected problems. Check back with me next year for an update on the electronic publication of Communication Teacher and I will gladly let you know how things are going. Like so many other things, this transformation will be an "under construction" for longer than we can now anticipate.