ICAAP eXtended Markup Language: Exploiting XML and Adding Value to the Journals Production Process
Published in D-Lib Magazine, Volume 5 Number 2, 1999
Mike Sosteric
Executive and founding director of ICAAP
Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
[email protected]
This article discusses the technological advances achieved by the International Consortium for Alternative Academic Publication (ICAAP), an effort to reform scholarly communication and provide alternatives to high-priced commercial presses. ICAAP’s development of the ICAAP eXtended Markup Language (IXML) demonstrates how XML can streamline production, support robust indexing, and enhance metadata handling for electronic journals.
Highlights include:
- IXML as a simplified and extended form of HTML: removing deprecated formatting tags and adding logical elements for references, endnotes, and article metadata.
- Separation of structure and presentation: using stylesheets (CSS/XSL) to ensure consistent rendering while maintaining clean logical markup.
- Automated journal production: improved error control, indexing capabilities, and document transformations (HTML, dynamic HTML, and beyond).
- Infrastructure for scholarly publishing: integration with ICAAP’s backend tools and search engines (like GOLIATH), and assignment of unique IUICodes for article tracking.
The article situates IXML within broader debates on scholarly communication reform, noting the resistance of commercial publishers and the need for affordable, accessible alternatives. ICAAP’s approach highlights how XML can make non-commercial, open scholarly communication viable, sustainable, and scalable.
Recommended citation: Sosteric, Mike. (1999). "ICAAP eXtended Markup Language: Exploiting XML and Adding Value to the Journals Production Process." *D-Lib Magazine*, 5(2). ISSN 1082-9873.
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