The present paper details research conducted into various aspects of author experience, attitudes and perceptions of publishing in paper and electronic journals. A sample of 1,040 authors in a variety of disciplines was identified as having published a journal article in the preceding year. A questionnaire was distributed to these authors and 537 usable replies were received. The questionnaire was analysed in terms of author experience in the paper and electronic domains, authors’ views on various aspects of electronic journals and their current skills. The results of the questionnaire suggest a small but increasing willingness to submit articles to electronic journals, but also suggest continuing concern about the permanence of such media. Almost a third of the sample felt that the addition of multimedia to their articles would be beneficial but few had the necessary skills to produce and incorporate multimedia objects. It is concluded that authors should be involved more in future research and debate in electronic serial publishing.

Mobile healthcare provision in the home environment presents many challenges. Patients are becoming more informed about the management of chronic conditions and the use of technology to support the process is rising. Issues such as system interoperability, cost, security and training all have to be addressed to ensure effective use of mobile devices within the home healthcare arena. An aging population will impact upon traditional healthcare delivery methods.

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There has been a proliferation in commercial electronic document delivery services. Over the past few years this consistent growth, combined with enhancements to existing services, has made it difficult for librarians to keep abreast of the latest developments and service availability. This paper presents an overview of document delivery services and suppliers, and provides discussion on the various types currently available. The paper is further divided into non-collection-based services, collection-based services and specialised collection-based services. Detailed information about particular services has been collated and presented in tabular form: this includes information regarding cost, delivery time, subject field and full contact details.

Databases of medical devices were identified via complex search strategies to discover breadth and depth of coverage. The databases could be categorised into three types: Product, Business and Regulation. Evaluation of the databases uncovered several issues including: lack of continuity relating to the level of information provided; and little or no evidence that evaluation criteria has been applied to the databases. Other results of the scoping study suggest that a comprehensive medical device database must address the information requirements of a diverse group of stakeholders including multiple professional disciplines as well as patients and their carers. In order to support the needs of this disparate group of users, it is essential to develop a policy to support clear pathways to validate information gathering, representation, and retrieval activities.