Fully Digital: Policy and Process Implications for the AAS

Over the past two decades, every scholarly publisher has migrated at least the mechanical aspects of their journal publishing so that they utilize digital means. The academy was comfortable with that for a while, but publishers are under increasing pressure to adapt further. At the American Astronomical Society (AAS), we think that means bringing our publishing program to the point of being fully digital, by establishing procedures and policies that regard the digital objects of publication primarily. We have always thought about our electronic journals as databases of digital articles, from which we can publish and syndicate articles one at a time, and we must now put flesh on those bones by developing practices that are consistent with the realities of article at a time publication online. As a learned society that holds the long-term rights to the literature, we have actively taken responsibility for the preservation of the digital assets that constitute our journals, and in so doing we have not forsaken the legacy pre-digital assets. All of us who serve as the long-term stewards of scholarship must begin to evolve into fully digital publishers.

💡 Research Summary

The paper “Fully Digital: Policy and Process Implications for the AAS” presents a comprehensive roadmap for the American Astronomical Society (AAS) to transition from a traditional, print‑centric publishing model to a fully digital publishing ecosystem. The authors begin by noting that over the past two decades virtually every scholarly publisher has digitized the mechanical aspects of journal production—manuscript handling, typesetting, PDF generation, and online distribution. While this “mechanical digitization” satisfied the academic community for a time, the pressure now mounts for publishers to treat the digital object itself as the primary unit of scholarly communication.

AAS has long viewed its electronic journals as databases of digital articles, capable of publishing and syndicating individual items on demand. The paper argues that this conceptual stance must be operationalized through concrete policies, workflows, and infrastructure that reflect the realities of article‑by‑article online publication. Four interlocking pillars are identified: (1) standardized identification and metadata, (2) persistent identifiers and URL management, (3) rights, licensing, and long‑term preservation, and (4) integration of legacy (pre‑digital) assets.

1. Standardized Identification and Metadata – The authors advocate for the automatic assignment of DOIs, ORCID iDs for authors, and the use of Crossref, DataCite, and other international metadata schemas at the moment an article is accepted. By embedding rich, machine‑readable metadata early in the production pipeline, the AAS can ensure discoverability, accurate citation tracking, and seamless data reuse. The paper recommends a fully automated workflow that pulls metadata from manuscript submission systems, validates it against schema, and pushes it to registration agencies without manual intervention.

2. Persistent Identifiers and URL Management – Each article will receive a unique DOI and a permanent URL (PURL) that remains stable even if the underlying hosting platform changes. The authors propose a service‑oriented architecture that exposes the article metadata via RESTful APIs, OAI‑PMH, RSS, and Atom feeds, enabling external aggregators, institutional repositories, and research data portals to harvest and display content in real time. This approach also supports versioning: any substantive update to an article (e.g., corrigendum, data addendum) will generate a new DOI linked to the original, preserving the scholarly record’s integrity.

3. Rights, Licensing, and Long‑Term Preservation – AAS retains long‑term rights to the literature it publishes, but the paper stresses the need for clear licensing terms that balance author freedom with the society’s preservation mandate. The authors suggest adopting Creative Commons licenses (e.g., CC‑BY or CC‑BY‑NC) where appropriate, while also embedding preservation clauses that grant repositories such as Portico, LOCKSS, and CLOCKSS the right to store and serve the content indefinitely. The paper outlines a “digital stewardship” policy that obligates AAS to maintain multiple redundant copies of each digital object in geographically dispersed archives, conduct periodic integrity checks, and migrate files to newer formats as technology evolves.

4. Integration of Legacy Assets – Recognizing that the scholarly record extends far beyond the digital era, the authors propose a systematic digitization program for print journals, microfilm, and early electronic files. Each legacy item will be assigned a persistent identifier, linked to its metadata record, and made searchable alongside contemporary articles. This “digital‑first but legacy‑aware” strategy ensures continuity of citation and scholarly attribution across centuries.

Beyond technical considerations, the paper delves into organizational change. It calls for restructuring editorial and production teams to include software engineers, data curators, and digital preservation specialists. Ongoing professional development is essential: staff must be trained in metadata standards, API development, and preservation best practices. The authors also emphasize stakeholder engagement—authors, librarians, funders, and other societies must be consulted during policy formulation to achieve consensus on standards, licensing, and data sharing expectations.

Finally, the authors present a phased implementation plan:

• Phase 1 (Pilot) – Deploy automated DOI registration and metadata harvesting for a subset of journals; test API endpoints and preservation workflows.
• Phase 2 (Scale‑Up) – Extend the system to all AAS journals, integrate legacy digitization pipelines, and formalize licensing policies.
• Phase 3 (Maturity) – Achieve full interoperability with external repositories, enable article‑level metrics, and publish a public “Digital Publishing Policy” that can serve as a model for other learned societies.

In conclusion, the paper argues that by treating each article as a first‑class digital object, establishing robust metadata and preservation frameworks, and aligning organizational structures with digital workflows, AAS can fulfill its role as a long‑term steward of astronomical scholarship. The authors contend that this transition is not merely a technical upgrade but a cultural shift that will empower researchers, enhance discoverability, and safeguard the scientific record for future generations. The roadmap offered is intended to be both a practical guide for AAS and a template for other societies confronting the same digital imperative.