Does electronic publication affect circulation and citation of journals?

In the case of journals distributed through J-STAGE

Abstract

In order to investigate an effect of electronic publication on circulation and citation of domestic journals, we compared the number and the regional distribution of articles citing the journal articles accessible through J-STAGE, with those when the journals were distributed only with printed version. In addition, interviews with a few societies whose journal(s) are on J-STAGE and a questionnaire survey for citers of these journal articles were carried out. The results show that J-STAGE can promote the circulation, but it is necessary to improve quality of journals and their articles to positively affect their citations.