This paper deals with the development of electronic journals in different branches of science. After a brief introduction to the emergence of the learned journal as the speaking tube of particular disciplines, the paper focuses on the development history of the recently appeared e-journals. However, the electronic journals have become widely accepted and favoured in all disciplines due to their high user-friendly features. A survey on the history of development of the electronic journals demonstrates that the new medium could not establish equally simply and rapidly in all the disciplines. After a content analysis of in the most important Pioneer projects of the 80’s, the paper scrutinizes in the first place the trends of the last decades. The registry of the American Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Academic Discussion Lists displays the developments of the first half of the 90’s. For the second half of the 90’s the Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek (EZB) of the Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg has emerged as the most important database. Each survey distinguishes the developments of the branch of parallel digital publications and the branch of simple online-journals.
The retrospectively digitalized journals should also be taken in consideration, which in the last eight years have gained increased importance. A debate on the significance of the online-journals rounds the paper off.
