Chin Med J (Taipei) 1998;61:S75.

The Constructing Principles of the Web Medical Journal : The Example of the Chinese Medical Journal (Taipei)

Tzeng-Ji Chen, Shing-Jong Lin, Mau-Song Chang

Veterans General Hospital-Taipei and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

Abstract

One of the big problems for an academic medical journal nowadays is how to deliver the content quickly and cheaply and yet still maintain a high level of quality. In the Internet era, the techniques of telecommunication have reached an unprecedented dimension and presented an efficient alternative of sharing research results among academic communities of the globe. The fact that the journals on line continue to grow at a tremendous pace is a witness for this trend. In Taiwan, the Chinese Medical Journal (Taipei) [http://homepage.vghtpe.gov.tw/~cmj/] has been a pioneer on this field since 1996.

Understanding the essential features of the Internet is a prerequisite for constructing a Web site of the journal. The popularity of the Internet, especially the World Wide Web (WWW), in the recent years can be attributed to hypertext, hypermedia, dynamic updating, powerful searching ability, and a user-friendly interface. Therefore, a Web journal should try to organize itself accordingly instead of simply converting files from the desktop publishing environment. Besides, the speed of transmission and the ease of maintenance should be taken into consideration.

Some points at constructing a Web journal include: 1. file structure: all files under one directory or among two and more layers; 2. file size: division of one issue or article into several parts; 3. layout: a consistent format and smooth hyperlinks between/within documents; 4. graph: a tradeoff between resolution and transmission; 5. indexing and searching: the most expensive item if a local searching ability is preferred; 6. Database management: a complementary tool for searching and managing files.

The most important factor which decides the prosperity of a journal and the whole market is undoubtedly the content. The readers and research communities will never be satisfied with the advertising style of an electronic journal for its paper version. The future evolution demands our imagination.

[Chin Med J (Taipei) 1998;61:S75.]