Conferences vs. Journals: Throwing the baby out with the bath water?

TL;DR

This paper discusses the historical and sociological context of the conference versus journal publication debate, emphasizing the importance of understanding the evolution of scientific dissemination in the digital age.

Contribution

It provides a contextual analysis of the CvJ debate, highlighting the need for systematic historical and sociological studies of scientific publication practices.

Findings

Conferences emerged as responses to technological and economic challenges.

The conference model aligns with the current ICT-driven research environment.

A systematic study of scientific dissemination practices is needed.

Abstract

Criticism of the conference model should be put in context. Evidences suggest that the essential features of this model have emerged as responses to challenges posed by current trends of scientific research and the impact of the new techno-economic paradigm, the age of Information and Communication Technology. This context seems indispensable when discussing today's problems of scientific evaluation, in particular the Conference vs. Journal (CvJ) debate. This debate, also, would benefit from systematic historical and sociological studies of these practices. In this note we briefly develop these arguments.