A semantic model for scholarly electronic publishing in Biomedical Sciences

Despite numerous advancements in information technology, electronic publishing is still based on the print text model. The natural language textual format prevents programs from semantically processing article content. A semantic model for scholarly electronic publishing is proposed, in which the article conclusion is specified by the author and recorded in a machine-understandable format, enabling semantic retrieval and identification of traces of scientific discoveries and knowledge misunderstandings. 89 biomedical articles were analyzed for this purpose. A content model comprising semantic elements and their sequences in articles is developed. Four patterns of reasoning and sequencing of semantic elements were identified in the analyzed articles. The development and testing of a prototype of a Web submission interface to an electronic journal system that partially implements the proposed model are reported.