CARPET = Community for Academic Reviewing, Publishing and Editorial Technology

The ongoing virtualization of media and work processes is changing scientific communication. For many scientists and scholars, their computer is the central hub between their own (local) research and the national or global research context. As a quality-assured product of scientific work, publications are processed electronically to a large degree, both in the preparatory stages of production and in use and distribution. A number of tools are used here: word processing programs such as MS-Word and OpenOffice, publishing systems such as LaTeX and TUSTEP, programs for literature management, graphics or raw data processing on a larger scale, more complex software systems to support communication and work organization and many more.

Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft the CARPET project aims to support the efficient use of electronic tools and services for scientific publishing. In view of international developments in this field, the following will be carried out for  Germany initially:

• a survey on existing publication tools will be presented in the form of a catalogue,

• a compass will be developed for analysis so as to determine a system and structure,

• a collaboration platform will be developed and made available

• guidelines for standards and interoperability will be drawn up and

• a virtual competence center will be established.