The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) has amassed large databases (including paleontological) on the geology of the ocean floor and is currently presenting research results in electronic proceedings that will soon completely displace paper publications. Palaeontologia Electronica (PE) has pioneered and produced an all-electronic paleontological journal with no paper equivalent. The publication and distribution of electronic data and scholarly papers is no longer the cutting edge of publishing technology; the cutting edge will be explored by the next generation of electronic documents. The combination of the wide experience gathered in ODP and PE, from the collection of drilled cores and data, through preliminary reports to scholarly publication, has provided the historical background. The next generation of electronic publications will include refinement of constituent elements supported by technological improvements to create a product that meets the full spectrum of needs of the scientific community. The goals for the final product should include the creation of a truly dynamic platform for the exchange of information and ideas; the permanent, long-term archive of published materials and the data on which they are based; improved world-wide access; and a realistic and improved presentation of text, data, graphics, and other media.