Digital publishing and electronics resources have changed our working environment for ever. In the course of civil engineering projects, the bibliographic search is conducted using Internet search engines, electronic repositories including commercial databases and open access repositories. These new techniques yield too many information that become useless unless they are critically evaluated by experts. The electronic aids have induced a widening gap between universities and small engineering companies, and between developed and developing countries, because many commercial services including databases and digital publishing are outrageously expansive. The technological revolution has some impact beyond, in particular in terms of research quality and impact. The research quality must be assessed through peer-reviewed publications, although the role of expert-reviewers is rarely acknowledged at its true value. While many research funding institutions and government agencies are driving the implementation of research quality assessment and framework, there is no single measure of research quality and impact. Simplistic metrics (impact factor, h-index) are naive, artificial and biased, and fairer indicators including the number of co-authors could be considered. Any assessment of research quality should focus on the reputation and impact of the researcher based upon his/her individual contributions in peer-reviewed publications, and his/her own impact on the research and professional communities. Civil engineering researchers are under pressure to publish more and more papers ("publish or perish"). With the increasing numbers of journals and conferences, an increasing number of unethical and dishonest behaviours have emerged. Although the problem is still small in absolute numbers, it is a critical issue discrediting the entire profession and the recent trend is alarming. The electronic aids, digital resources and Internet "surfing" do not replace basic scholarship, personal experience and professional expertise. Civil engineering is not a "virtual" science. Engineers and researchers must gain first hand experience in real professional situations, and comprehend the complex interactions between engineering and non-engineering constraints. All the e-resources and digital "band-aids" shall never replace critical thinking.
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