Abstract

Academic articles in their digital form are skeuomorphic: a linear translation from paper to screen. This linear translation makes engagement with digital text awkward and also creates a boundary between the form of the article and the form of the digital reader. Attempts to solve this problem retain the PDF form and enhance it by revising either the ISO standard, or readers that can read a certain type of PDF formats with plugins.

Based on the assumption that the existing forms and tools for academic reading and publication are saturated, this research re-imagines and speculates on a \textit{digital-first form of the academic article} that breaks the constraints imposed by PDFs. With a Research through Design (RtD) approach -- iterative prototyping and design journaling, this project calls for a paradigm shift: from Article as Files to Article as Software. It re-imagines the form of the digital academic article as a digital-first artifact, and explores the design space of the digital-first academic article (DFA). Instead of setting it up for printing and archival, the goal is to establish a unique identity of the digital research article that affords enhanced reading and learning from academic text.

Prototypes can be found at https://prose.shahrom.dev. It is assumed that this thesis will be read on a computer, so you can explore the live version for yourself.