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ETAIJ Information Area:

Methodology and Publication in Research

Area editor: Erik Sandewall, Linköping University, Sweden

Besides providing a channel for publication and communication for Artificial Intelligence research, the ETAI is also of interest for many as an experiment of how research communication can be organized over the Internet. We have met a rapidly increasing interest in this aspect of ETAI operations, and decided to set up the present information area to respond to that interest.

The present webpage structure gives access to articles and memos that describe and discuss various aspects of ETAI's operation. It will be gradually extended with links to related projects in other fields and to articles elsewhere that discuss this kind of project. If and when there is sufficient interest, we will also set up an electronic colloquium (similar to the one operated by the ETAI area on Reasoning about Actions and Change) for discussions and reports of the experience from various enterprises of similar kinds.

It would be unwise to restrict the topic to publication and communication per se, for the development of this kind of services is closely linked to questions of research methodology. How we do research is closely tied to how we publish and communicate research results, so new publishing styles are very likely to encourage (and to be encouraged by) changes in research methodology.

In principle, therefore, the area of Methodology and Publication in Research will communicate information about novel publishing methods, including both those used by ETAI and those used by other electronic publishing initiatives in Computer Science or other disciplines. It will also be open for information and discussion about methodology of research, in particular as it pertains to research in Artificial Intelligence and/or to how research methodology may be affected by the emergence of novel publication and communication methods.

This information area is being built up gradually, starting in a low-key manner in November, 1998.

ETAIJ Information Areas do not accept or review research articles; they are merely fora for information and for exchange of opinions. Note that they are activities of the ETAI Junction as a webpage structure, but not of the ETAI itself which is a research periodical (which uses the ETAI Junction as an instrument for its communication needs).