FM 3: Scholarly Publication in Astronomy: Evolution or Revolution?

Scholarly, peer-reviewed publications remain a fundamental component of communication and validation of research results in astronomy. The nature of scholarly publication has changed dramatically in the past decade, and continues to evolve rapidly. New paradigms of publication are encroaching upon---and potentially may prove highly disruptive to---long-established practices and institutions. How do we as a research community embrace the positive aspects of change and guard against influences that might undermine the quality and integrity of the research record? Even the concept of "publication" has taken on new perspectives, including websites, datasets, and other digital materials presented in varying levels of formality and robustness. Librarians are facing ever-increasing challenges in managing access to this content, in some cases becoming digital content curators themselves. As funding for astronomical research and facilities tightens, measures of research impact---as determined from bibliometrics---become increasingly important and must themselves be scientifically rigorous.