Why Publish Online?
Before the Internet, publication—the capacity to put one's ideas into print and make them available to an audience—was a complex, convoluted process. This is no longer the case. Before the Internet, Michael Goldhaber observes, scholars and scientists working in a particular field might have little contact with each other and "needed to organize expensive conferences in order to have a meetings of minds." The Internet has changed this.
With the abundance of information now available through the World Wide Web, the question becomes: How does one identify and locate significant publications? How does one identify and reach the people that will benefit from these writings? What are the most effective vehicles for distributing these publications to the people who can use them?
Established in 2004, the Ideologies of War, Genocide and Terror Website and Newsletter have pioneered the online publication of scholarship—making significant ideas and resources available around the world. We publish and distribute papers, essays, and book reviews on the psychological, cultural and historical bases of collective forms of violence, allowing scholars from diverse disciplines to share research—facilitating the growth of new insight.
Mortensen and Walter note that with the increasing flow of access to information, academic communication is changing. The modern researcher is no longer the "old man in a dusty, smoky study behind a labyrinth of books." Rather, we now expect research to "relate to and impact on contemporary topics—and preferably lead to results that can give new insights into more than a narrow group of specialists." What research can be more significant than investigating the sources and meanings of societal forms of violence—that threaten the human race with extinction?
Clay Shirky observes that "Putting something on paper used to be a way of increasing the number of copies in circulation, and now it's a way of decreasing the number of copies in circulation—by comparison to the digital media." Authors who publish with us are astonished and gratified by the response they receive. A typical paper published on our website is read by 3000-5000 visitors in one year—attracting more readers than a typical journal publication attracts in a lifetime. An essay published and distributed through our Newsletter is read—on average—by 11,250 people—generating commentary throughout the world.
Our website and newsletter provide a space of freedom—a wonderful opportunity for scholars to convey their research and receive feedback. If you have a book, paper or essay that you believe deserves a wide audience, please write to oanderson@ideologiesofwar.com.