Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Journal of Archival Organization (JAO) (includes Library & Archival Security)
ISSN: 1533-2756 (Print) and 1533-2756 (Online).1
Website: https://www-tandfonline-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/loi/wjao20
Purpose, objective, or mission: Per their website, “The Journal of Archival Organization is an international, peer-reviewed journal encompassing all aspects of the arrangement, description, and provision of access to all forms of archival materials.”2
Target audience: Librarians, students, employees of museums and government agencies, as well as anyone interested in archival materials.3
Publisher: Routledge.4
Peer reviewed? Yes.5
Type: LIS Scholarly.6
Medium: Print and online.7
Content: Per their website, “JAO addresses a broad range of issues of interest to the profession including archival management and staffing, archival technologies, the arrangement and description of records collection, collection growth and access, diversity and gender, grant-funding, and institutional support. Articles addressing academic, public and special/corporate libraries, museums and governmental agencies are all welcome.”8
Frequency of publication: Quarterly.9
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://www-tandfonline-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=wjao20&page=instructions
Types of contributions accepted: Book/resources reviews, as well as articles in the following sections: Creating Architopia: Reflections on Archival Management, Archives and the Law, and Technology Matters in Archives.10
Submission and review process: Manuscripts are required to be accompanied by a brief abstract (maximum of 100 words) and a statement saying the manuscript is unpublished and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere. To submit their manuscripts, authors are required to create an account through the site’s Editorial Manager. To ensure all manuscripts are original, the journal uses CrossCheck software.11
As for the review process, all articles undergo “rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous double-blind review.”12
Editorial tone: LIS scholarly.13
Style guide used: The Chicago Manual of Style.14
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
Journal of Archival Organization provides an excellent forum for LIS authors interested in publishing scholarly articles related to emerging archival technologies, the digitization of archives, cataloging, as well as numerous other topics related to archival materials.15 Additionally, this journal incorporates Library & Archival Security,16 which holds the distinction of being “the only journal that stresses legal and organizational issues and incidents in libraries, archives, and other information centers.”17
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: Circulation statistics are not available.
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The journal is published in English in the U.S.18 However, authors should be mindful that the journal has an international reach, with many articles focusing on issues outside the U.S.19
Reader characteristics: Since the journal encompasses professional organizations outside libraries (e.g., museums and government agencies), the audience will be professionally varied. The majority of readers, though, will be LIS professionals working in archives or libraries. Since this journal covers articles on grant-funding and institutional support, readers may hold managerial or supervisory positions in their institutions.20
Reader knowledge of LIS subject matter: Most readers will have specialized knowledge of LIS subject matter, particularly MARC, AACR2, Encoded Archival Description, and other rules/standards related to cataloging, archiving, and metadata.21 This characteristic implies that most readers will have graduate and post-graduate degrees. However, authors should keep in mind that some readers may be affiliated with government agencies and museums. Thus, authors should explain LIS jargon where necessary.22
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
JAO readers want cutting-edge information pertaining to archives.23 They expect articles to be organized, well-researched, methodical, and objective. Additionally, all content should be scholarly but accessible to ensure it reaches as many members as possible of this publication’s broad audience.
Last updated: March 14, 2018
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