The aim of the IJAI is to create an easily accessible resource of scholarly information, available, via the internet, to a large international audience of both amateur and professional archaeologists for the study of all periods of Irish archaeology and related topics. The journal is, in part, intended as a response to some of the problems of traditional, print-based publication which suffers from high production costs, limited readership etc. While other other journals have adopted an internet-only approach, producing no printed volumes, the aim of the IJAI is to electronically republish important papers from conventional journals and to make papers available prior to formal publishing in paper-based journals.

The potential advantages of this approach are considerable. In the first instance it is hoped that the IJAI will allow easy, international access to some of the finest papers relating to Irish archaeology, creating a wider readership for the work of the individual author and acting as a method of publicising the journal of origin. In this way, it is hoped to benefit both the author and the publisher while acting in the best interests of the subject as a whole.

Today, many Journals possess a substantial backlog of papers waiting to be published which works against the normal desire of the professional to see their work in print at the earliest possible opportunity. The IJAI hopes to work to the benefit of both sides by making research papers available after acceptance by a traditional journal, thus satisfying the author while raising the profile of the publisher.

Finally, considerations such as the longevity of papers solely disseminated over the internet and the understandable reluctance of many authors to publish on the internet alone become redundant when printed equivalents are available.

The IJAI is organised as a non-profit making organisation, operating without any financial backing, for the good of the discipline in general.
 
 

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