BioMedical Engineering OnLine: An Editorial

The first issue to consider is why? Why another BME publication? Why an all electronic publication? Why me? The answers I can present will never tell the complete story, but like any good research, can only illuminate a small aspect of reality. Biomedical engineering is growing, and this growth is demonstrated by numerous new publications – each devoted to some recently exploited area of interest – or as the provenance of some new specialized organization based on geographical or technical convergence. While the growth of biomedical engineering is admirable, its fragmentation is not. More and more biomedical engineers become isolated. Publications cost money, in order to obtain print publications, libraries or individuals must either buy a subscription, or join yet another dues collecting organization. Costs have become prohibitive: just ask your library. A large number of biomedical engineers throughout the world thus simply lack access to vast quantities of relevant literature. But development of the world-wide-web has now provided a means to overcome this obstacle of costs. The Internet is providing a means for rapid and low-cost dissemination of technical information. It is the perfect medium by which researchers, rich and poor alike, can share the results of their works. There are no longer any limitations brought about by the high costs in time and money of print and paper production and transportation.Let us look at some of the specific changes in publishing between what was then and what is now. In a previous life, I was the editor of a print publication for many years. It was a rewarding experience at the time, but now with electronic publication the world has once again been rocketed into a new orbit, and a different set of parameters has evolved. Although editors and publishers may have to make some adjustments to this new order, authors will benefit significantly.Consider the costs of traditional publication. Because of expenses associated with physical