The fundamental structure of any research article remains a simple document comprised of text and printable figures. Printable media have some limitations to represent scientific communication. It constrains complex scientific data into 2D static figures, hindering our ability to effectively exchange the complex and extensive information. Although the practice of of using digital supplementary material to include digital media with articles is common to modernize articles. Unfortunately, recent metrics indicate these materials are accessed by as few as .04% of readers. [1] [2]
Now the whole scenario is changing and the way content is created, consumed and interacted has changed drastically in digital world. Publishing industry is now revolutionizing with cutting edge technologies Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D. Adoption of smartphones, emergence of native browser integration of the web graphics library (WebGL) are now the part of modern era scientific communication. These bring an immersive captivating experience for readers and improving readers engagement. In disciplines of sciences and medical sciences and others also, authors who include 3D models such as molecular structures and tissue illustrations as part of their manuscript submission will have the opportunity to turn them into interactive AR-viewable objects. Before knowing that how these technologies are being used in publishing it is important to know the basic concepts of AR and VR.