From Scrolls to Scrolling: Making the Most of Shifting Modes of Scholarly Communication

This paper intends to explore new and old modes and media of scholarly communication, their similarities and differences, and what opportunities today’s humanists enjoy for their own scholarly expression and research. Two case studies will be explored: (1) A New Testament scholar’s blog post that was substantially engaged and critiqued by a fellow scholar in a leading journal; and (2) The online scholarly (self-)publications that swayed reception of the authenticity of the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” fragment. It will be shown that in spite of the effectiveness of some newer digital forms of scholarly publication, traditional publications still hold sway for many stakeholders. Even so, an argument can be made for scholars to increasingly take up (and value) the new and potential forms of digital publication, formal and informal.