There are a number of distinct advantages to WebTexts.  

• The exceptionally low cost of publication of materials on the WWW. 
• The increasingly high access to Web-based publication. 
• The speed of publication. 
• The speed of revision. 
• The ability to offer multiple approaches to the same topic, along with material at different levels, from intro undergraduate to advanced doctoral all inside the same organizational framework. 
• The ability to build directly upon other text materials without undue duplication. 
• The ability to link to related material and related disciplines. 
• The Web is not constrained by the typical textbook size, and thus ideas may be fully expounded without being unduly curtailed. 
• The Web allows for sophisticated multimedia presentation.
• The Web allows for interactivity to be built into the text material.
• The Web allows for some degree of monitoring the use of the text materials.

There are also some objections to Web based publications which will need to be addressed.  

• Quality control through organizational sponsorship or professional publishers has not been established yet. 
• Proper credit for publication will be difficult to incorporate into the Promotion and Tenure process, and will only occur gradually. 
• While copyrighted, Web based publications are somewhat more open to infringement than print media. 
• The Web is not constrained by the typical text size, and thus ideas may be fully expounded without being adequately edited. 

Bob Duval 
Dept. of Political Science 
West Virginia University 
Morgantown, WV 26506 
(304)-293-3811 x5299  

bduval@wvu.edu   

ã Copyright 1997, Robert D. Duval