From: jlemay@nwu.edu (John LeMay)
Subject: Survey on the Future of Electronic Information Distribution
Followup-To: Poster
Originator: jlemay@casbah.acns.nwu.edu
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 04:43:21 GMT

           ELECTRONIC SURVEY ON THE FUTURE OF
            DIGITAL INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION 

The Boston Consulting Group is conducting a study on the 
future of electronic publishing and distribution, and would 
like to get your input.  Technology platforms like wide area 
networks (Internet, Bitnet, etc), local area networks, CD-
ROM, multimedia PCs, and hand-held information appliances 
will continue to reshape the way you access and use 
information.  This survey itself is an experimental way of 
soliciting feedback on digital information flows from 
researchers, authors, professors, practitioners, and 
students. We hope that your response will help improve the 
cost, delivery, timeliness, and availability of electronic 
information to the scientific and technical community.  

This survey has two parts.  Part One contains structured 
responses to a defined set of questions.  Part Two contains 
more open ended questions on what information you need, how 
you want to access it, and the major dissatisfactions with 
electronic information in its current state.

Please send responses by e-mail to: jlemay@nwu.edu

PART ONE:  STRUCTURE SURVEY:

1.  How would you describe your occupation:

____ Researcher
____ Professor
____ Undergraduate
____ Graduate Student
____ Practicing Scientist / Engineer
________________________________ Other (describe)

2.  What is your primary discipline?

____ Chemistry
____ Engineering
____ Biology
____ Medicine
____ Mathematics
____ Physics
____ Geosciences
_________________________________Other (describe)

3.  On average, how many hours/week do you spend on Internet 
or other wide area networks?

____ Less than one
____ One to five
____ More than five

4.  What is your networking platform?

____ Unix
____ IBM
____ MAC
_________________________________Other (describe)

5.  Do you subscribe to a commercial on-line database service 
(please check)?

____ Compuserve
____ Dialog
____ Prodigy
____ Other
____ No, I do not subscribe

6.  If you answered no to question five, do you plan to 
subscribe to a commercial on-line service:

____ within the next year?
____ within the next three years?
____ No, I do not plan to subscribe.

7.  Do you own a CD ROM drive?

____ yes
____ no

8.  If you answered no to question five, do you plan to buy 
one:

____ within the next year?
____ within the next two or three years?
____ No, I do not plan to buy a CD ROM.

9.  Do you have easy access to a CD ROM drive?

____ yes
____ no

10.  Please rank the following sources on a scale of 1-5 
(5=highest) based on their usefulness to you:

____ Books
____ Refereed articles
____ Communication with colleagues/associates
____ Unpublished research papers or research results
____ Abstracts
____ Indexes
____ Reference sources
____ Fact-oriented databases (patents, chemical compounds, 
statistics, etc)
____ Magazines/Newspapers
____ Current contents

11.  Please rank the following on a scale of 1-5 (5=most 
frequent) based on the frequency with which you access them: 

____ Books
____ Refereed articles
____ Communication with colleagues/associates
____ Unpublished research papers or research results
____ Abstracts
____ Indexes
____ Reference sources
____ Fact-oriented databases (patents, chemical compounds, 
statistics, etc)
____ Magazines/Newspapers
____ Current contents

12  Please rank the following on a scale of 1-5 (5=highest) 
based on your desire to access them electronically over a 
wide area network or CD ROM product:

____ Books
____ Refereed articles
____ Communication with colleagues/associates
____ Unpublished research papers or research results
____ Abstracts
____ Indexes
____ Reference sources
____ Fact-oriented databases (patents, chemical compounds, 
statistics, etc)
____ Magazines/Newspapers
____ Current contents

13.  Overall, how satisfied are you with your ability to 
access information electronically (5= completely satisfied, 
no complaints):

____ Level of satisfaction

14.  What are the major drawbacks to on line information 
(1=minor drawback, 5=major) drawback)?

____ Speed of information access
____ Graphics
____ Cost
____ Breadth of information available
____ Search and retrieval tools
____ Document delivery
____ Screen display
____ Ability to print out in quality format
____ ________________________________ other (specify)

15.  How important is it to have all major publishers 
represented in a database of past and current literature 
(5=extremely important)?

____ Importance

16.  How often do you use the following delivery media:  (1 = 
more than 5 times per week, 2 = one to five times per week, 3 
= less than once a week, 4 = do not use)

____ On line
____ CD ROM


17.  How important is browsing of print products to you 
(5=extremely important)?

____ Importance of browsing

18.  Do you / would you use electronic products mostly as a 
replacement or a supplement to regular print products 
(1=mostly replacement, 5=mostly supplement)?

____ currently
____ in two years
____ in five years

19.  Following are potential improvements or applications in 
an electronic document environment.  Please rate between 1 
and 5 (5=highest) based on the value to you:

____ Full text and graphics databases available on line at
higher communication speeds than are currently available

____ Back issues only of journals available on CD ROM

____ A customized CD ROM of the journals you use the most, 
including 3 or more years of back issues

____ Journals delivered to you on line with full text and 
color graphics, at higher communication speeds than are 
currently available

____ Journals delivered to you on CD-ROM with full text, 
color graphics and abstracts of all references

____ Shorter cycle times between print publication and 
appearance of an article in abstract and information services

____ Browse on line full text of a collection of books in a 
subject area, select sections/chapters of interest and create 
customized information resource

____ Electronic preprints or abstracts released 4-6 weeks 
prior to print publication (i.e., future contents)

____ A customized electronic current awareness service in 
which you specify the information you would like presented

Part Two:  Open Questions

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the following 
issues.  

20. What specific ideas can you offer to owners of intellectual property to
improve access, reach and usefulness of their properties? 

21.  What factors would increase your use of electronic 
information?

22.  How do you see the delivery media changing?