Why Should Societies & Associations Publish & Distribute Journals on Digital Platforms?
Why Do Societies and Associations Publish Journals?
Research Societies, Professional Associations or non-profit organizations publish journals with the aim of sharing knowledge and raising funds for supporting their research or services. With the help of a society journal, non-profit organizations can spread awareness and drive research funds to their community.
The Need for Digital Platforms
While societies and non-profits have traditionally been practicing print publishing, the digital revolution has brought about a disruption in the regular process. Today we see that people are increasingly reliant upon new technologies to receive news and updates.
Newspapers and print material have given way to their digital counterparts- e-newspaper, eBooks and e-magazines. With these changes taking place, research societies and associations must also upgrade their distribution methods and deliver content on digital platforms.
Think about it. Do the members of your association really need to be provided with a print version of the journal? If not, then you can save a significant sum by avoiding the processes involved in print publishing.
Publishers often charge a hefty fee which many of the non-profits find unreasonably high. But you cannot entirely blame the publishers, as they are working for their margins. In such a scenario, societies must look for publishers that charge a lower rate or better yet, look for other alternative means to get their journals published. Here’s more on the role of technology in digital publishing
The need of the hour demands societies and associations shun their traditional approach and adopt the digital publishing method. As this will not only help them in reaching out to more people but also in acquiring funds for research and other related activities.
How can societies and associations distribute journals on a digital platform?
The easiest way today to get content published is to use an eBook software for content creation and delivery. Even the traditional publishers are moving towards digital publishing with the help of these software tools. Using an eBook creation software is beneficial in a number of ways.
Here’s how societies and associations can benefit from using an eBook solution.
1. It’s Easier to Coordinate for Peer Reviews
Research journals have to be reviewed thoroughly before being published, and digital publishing platforms provide an opportunity for academics and authors to connect on the same platform using collaboration tools. An eBook creation software allows the content to be shared with multiple people, providing them access to the content. This makes peer review more effective and convenient.
Members can comment, make notes, and provide feedback on a content creation platform. These platforms are quite interactive and help members to engage with each other in useful ways.
2. The Software Tools Support Multiple File Formats
Gone are the days when online content was only limited to a word document or a PDF file. Today, there are many other formats available. ePUB3 is the most widely used format for publishing and distributing online content.
With ePUB3, you can present your journal in a reflowable layout, that is, it adjusts to the size of the user’s screen automatically. Unlike a static output like PDF and Word, this is a refreshing change for users to read the journal.
They don’t have to pan and zoom to read the entire contents of a page; the file neatly fits the screen to provide an enhanced reading experience. In case you do not want free-flowing text, you also have the option to choose the standard fixed layout. Here are 6 reasons you should go for ePUB over PDF and more on Reflowable or Fixed-layout ePUB – Which is Better?
3. Edit the Journal after Publishing
Journals can be edited and appended as and when required if you have the entire file on the cloud. Earlier, once you have published a journal, it was difficult, or rather impossible to make any changes to the document. Using a content delivery platform, you can publish the journal, and also make changes at a later date.
Societies and associations want their journals to be disseminated as widely as possible, and it is imperative to provide correct information to the audience. Using a cloud-based publishing platform, you can ensure that your journal is always updated with the latest figures and statistics.
4. Distribute DRM-protected Content
Associations can make the journals available to their members via a secure channel. Most eBook creation and delivery tools offer DRM protection. Which means, only the people who are given the authorization code can access the content. This ensures that your journals are copyright protected.
No third-party can access the journal without permission. But, in case you want to make it public, you might have to look for options to not allow users to copy-paste content or download it without permission. With DRM-protection, you can share research findings in a secure manner with the members of your association.
5. You Can Easily Publish Content and Increase Accessibility
Digital publishing also enables content access on mobile phones, tablets and computers. By using a software tool, societies can publish the content in various formats that can be accessed on multiple devices and operating platforms. Members of a society or an association are more likely to view the contents of the journal on their smart devices, than taking out time to go through a print version.
Conclusion:
Societies and associations have always relied on publishers to get their content published online and offline. But the increase in subscription fee and the competition among publishers have driven many institutes and organizations towards digital publishing tools. Because these tools are designed to take care of end-to-end publishing requirements.
Right from content creation, to designing, to publishing and distribution. All you need to have is the content, a well-drafted content that would engage the readers, provide them with valuable information and encourage them to support your organization.
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