Homework 11

Main features

1. This online version of TAS contains highlights and abstracts from the journal TSA published quarterly by the ASA. TAS contains timely articles  related to current national and international statistical problems and programs, public policy matters of direct interest to the statistical profession, and the teaching of statistics. The homepage of the site gives you a compact guide to explore it.
2.  It Provides index of articles of the recent (1997~1999) and old (1947~1996). The info on 1999~1997 includes the titles, abstracts, key words, and author info (including E-mail address) of the articles during these years. Only a few of full papers of 1999 and 1998 can be downloaded from here. There is a search engine to look for old articles by entering the title, author(s) or keyword(s). But you can just obtain info of the title, authors of the article, and the year, volume and pages in which the full paper was. The unfortunate thing is that the site does not provide any articles’ info in 2000.
3. It provides Search engine of the site. The good thing is it has the tips for search. This helps users to find info they want easily and quickly.
4. It provides links to ASA which are related to TAS.


Advantages and disadvantages apply to this particular journal

Advantages:
 

• Lower publication costs
• Immediate accessibility
• Wider accessibility
• Follow-up references
• Color graphics (without extra costs)
• Searchability (any word/expression)
• Communication
• Update of author's address
• "mailto" link
• Correction of errors/typos
• No shelf space required
• Local archive of electronic journals
• Permanent access


Disadvantages
 

• Transformation of "raw" document into different formats (html, pdf, ps...)
• Ways to access electronic journals:
• Subscription to journals (individual)
• Subscription by organization (e.g., universities)
• Insecurity about accessibility (if only at publisher's server)
• Security issue
• Correction of errors/typos (Which version is the "official reference"?)
• Old formats might be inaccessible in some years due to technical progress
• Copyright
• It is easy to copy!
• Different international laws