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    ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ON  REASONING ABOUT ACTIONS AND CHANGE        
Issue 98050             Editor: Erik Sandewall             15.6.1998
Back issues available at http://www.ida.liu.se/ext/etai/actions/njl/
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                    *********  TODAY  *********

---  ETAI TO BE PUBLISHED BY ROYAL SWEDISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES  ---

The Electronic Transactions on Artificial Intelligence has encountered 
the same issue as other electronic journals: People want them on paper 
as well. For the individual user, it is fine to download specific 
articles from a server when she needs them, but it is often felt that 
there ought to be an issue of paper copies *somewhere*. Sometimes the 
reasons are for backup in disaster scenarios: "what if the Internet 
crumbles?" - "what if noone can read postscript after the year 2050?", 
and sometimes the reasons are for prestige or pure nostalgia: "I like 
to see my paper in print". At the same time, if everyone is able to get 
the articles free from the net, then who is going to pay for the paper 
edition?

For the ETAI, this problem has now been solved through an agreement 
that has just been signed between the Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences (KVA), the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial
Intelligence (ECCAI), and Linköping University (LiU). The following has
been agreed:
   
-  The ETAI is published in two editions, namely an electronic edition 
   and a paper edition. The paper edition is published by KVA; the 
   electronic edition by LiU through Linköping University Electronic 
   Press.
   
-  The paper edition is printed in a limited supply, and is
   distributed free of charge by the KVA to sister academies and other
   prestigious organizations worldwide.
   
-  The electronic edition will be kept on-line for at least 25 years 
   counting from the date of publication.
   
-  Linköping University hosts the practical work for both the paper
   and the electronic editions.
   
-  Both the KVA and the ECCAI nominate members to the ETAI policy 
   committee, which oversees the organization of the ETAI and which is 
   also the guarantee that the ETAI maintains the highest scientific 
   standards of publication. 

With this arrangement, the cost of producing the ETAI in both an 
electronic edition and a paper edition are considered to be so
marginal that it will continue to be possible to run it as a community
service and without any need for subscription fees. All three partners
to the agreement share an interest in the innovative aspects of ETAI as
a new form of scientific communication that makes full use of the 
Internet infrastructure.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences already publishes a number of 
traditional journals, including *Acta Mathematica* and *Acta Zoologica*. 
It is well known in particular for its authority to award the Nobel 
prizes in Physics and in Chemistry each year. With its participation in
the ETAI project, the Academy has shown its desire to combine 
traditional quality with innovation in the field of science.

For the ETAI, this agreement means a significant advancement with
respect to formal standing and stability, but it also means that we
will be able to benefit from the Academy's expertise with respect to
communication in and of science.


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