From the "boring boar" of Astérix and Obélix, to the tidal bore of the Indus River that wiped out the fleet of Alexander the Great, the English word "bore" has been used for a broad range of meanings. Similarly, the expressions "digital information revolution" and "electronic publishing" are used broadly. Herein the impact of digital publishing is presented in the context of hydraulic engineering, research and practice, and it is compared with the impact of a tidal bore on an estuarine system. Like a tidal bore, digital publishing is advancing at a fast pace and cannot be stopped, but the advance is fascinating. It is argued that an increased number of unethical behaviours has been recently observed. While these might be linked with the development of open access tools, the open access repositories (OARs) have expanded the freely-accessible bibliographic references available by engineers and researchers. The OARs provide further genuine information on the impact of research publications with challenging outcomes. The development of research metrics is also discussed. Simplistic naive indicators used by commercial databases are inappropriate, and a series of newer weighted research metrics are presented with a focus on the individual scholarship. Digital publishing and electronic "band-aids" will never replace scholarship and critical thinking, although they constitute the new tools of professionals, researchers and academics
