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In contrast with traditional modes of publication, the internet offers three areas of potential to Renaissance researchers, the first being its extensive and expanding support for multi-media: graphics and sound available electronically out-perform those available in conventional print both in degree and in kind. Video and audio materials could be published electronically either as free-standing archives, or as supplements to work published in print. Second, the economics of electronic publication (particularly for those in universities with free access) have fundamentally changed the publication constraints operating on 'specialist' materials--materials that, due to limited or 'specialist' demand, would not be viable in conventional printed form. Thus a small corpus of related texts, or a laborious transcription with no other obvious home, could easily and cheaply be published online. As many such documents are generated during the course of research, only to be lost and recreated by other scholars at a later time, this archival potential could have a huge impact on the efficiency and scope of literary research in this period. The third area in which the Internet offers potential is in collaborative work. The speed with which in-process material can be made accessible could make the critical discussions already taking place in journals and at symposia all the more vital.
We are always on the lookout for new projects and new ways of using the potential of the Internet. It should perhaps be said at this point that we have no wish to create a huge body of unfiltered and random material, and expect that everything published in COPIA will be of a high standard. If you have any questions, or if you wish to make a suggestion or contribution, please write to one of the following people.
We look forward to your participation in this ongoing endeavor.
