Whole articles have been posted on the Web. Usually, this is done after publication on paper, as with the Ichnology Newsletter , but in some journals electronic publication comes first. In this case, the Web allowed refereed publication of long, profusely illustrated articles without consideration of page limits. Hammer, an artist as well as a paleontologist, is interested in computer modeling of shell growth and like processes. Virtual Ichnology shows how the foraging patterns of invertebrates can be modeled, and includes animation.
Websites are especially valuable for announcing topical or constantly updated information.
Newspapers commonly post their articles now, and one ichnologist, Stephen T. Hasiotis , has constantly taken advantage of the opportunity. Electronic publication makes it possible to distribute large numbers of photographic images at low cost. T. Hasiotis, T. M. Bown, and C. Abston scanned tens of photographs of trace fossils for their CD publication, Photoglossary of Marine and Continental Ichnofossils . The CD includes images of fossil crayfish burrows, termite nests, and so on, and was originally distributed gratis. Unfortunately, only a summary is available on the Web.