Riding a wave of creative destruction reflections on Ecology and Society - Essay Example

Riding a wave of creative destruction reflections on Ecology and Society This article is about a changing reality, the constantly transforming flux of academic exercises, which is finding a new identity in the digital world. The formation, purpose and evolution of the digital journal, Ecology and Society, are discussed in this backdrop. It is also the dynamics of such a venture that comes under scrutiny in this article. The total logistics of this initiative is explained in terms of the funding, content creation, quality maintenance and the process of carving a niche in the academic world.

The comparison between academic exercises carried out and stored on paper with the new trend of doing the same thing electronically is done in this article in a systematic way. The overall position taken by this article is in favor of the use of electronic medium in academic exercises. As the present use of the electronic medium in academic research is full of controversies, and has always been questioned in terms of credibility and authenticity, this article has tried to prove it otherwise. A step-by-step explanation is offered on all the aspects of credibility and authenticity.

This is why it is asserted by the authors (Gunderson, Folke, and Lee) that “Ecology and Society (has) set out to become a credible scientific outlet by asking respected scientists to be members of the editorial board, and implementing a double-blind review process for each manuscript.” This article, also stresses another important feature of going electronic in academic research. It is reminded that electronic publishing involves less technical hurdles and less financial liabilities, thereby enabling the publisher to disseminate information and knowledge for free.

There is also the acknowledgement that the new approach in academic research is here to stay- whereby the “interdisciplinary niche” is established (Gunderson, Folke, and Lee). The very name of the journal, ‘Ecology and Society’, is reminiscent of this approach. To sum up, this article shows how the old ways of academic research are replaced by new and more convenient and efficient methods, the process which is named by the authors (Gunderson, Folke, and Lee) as “creative destruction.

” Works Cited Gunderson, Lance, Folke, Carl and Lee, Michelle, “Riding a Wave of Creative Destruction: Reflections on Ecology and Society”, Ecology and Society, 15 (2): 29, 2010. web. 01 June 2011, http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss2/art29/