Open Access, Classical Studies and Publication by Postgraduate Researchers

Stefan Krmnicek and Peter Probst have a very interesting article Open Access, Classical Studies and Publication by Postgraduate Researchers in Archaeolog, about the Frankfurter elektronische Rundschau zur Altertumskunde.

In conclusion, despite the difficulties mentioned above, the project to set up a free and accessible online journal organized by and for young scholars and encompassing all facets of classical studies has been relatively successful. Thanks to free online access the articles published in this periodical have found widespread recognition both within the field and outside of it. The reception of transmitted information, substantiated by references in print-media, can also be summed up as positive. It is, however, regrettable that – due to the circumstances mentioned above – it is precisely the younger generation of classical scholars who do not fully profit from the use of online publication, even though experience shows clearly that research published online reaches a wider public much faster than do publications in traditional print media. That the scientific community is increasingly convinced of the advantages of electronic publication can be deduced from the number of newly established online periodicals (e.g. The Journal of Archaeology in the Low Countries established in May 2009) (1). A journal specifically tailored to junior academics, published three times a year, open to articles written in multiple languages, with its own ISSN number – as is the case with the FeRA journal – is unique.