Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Inside Higher Ed
ISSN: N/A
Website: https://www.insidehighered.com/
Purpose, objective, or mission: “Delivering independent news and analysis that informs the world about higher education, while providing essential tools and services to help organizations and professionals be more effective.”1
Target audience: “. . . all of higher education — individuals, institutions, corporations and nonprofits. . . .”2
Publisher: Inside Higher Ed Inc.3
Peer reviewed? No.
Type: Civilian publication.
Medium: Online.
Content: News articles, recommendations and advice columns focused on topics and issues in higher education. The website also features job postings and career advice columns.
Frequency of publication: Content is added to the website frequently.
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://www.insidehighered.com/content/general-guidelines-submissions-inside-higher-ed
Types of contributions accepted: Submissions for the Views, Letters to the editor, and Careers sections are accepted.
Submission and review process: All submissions should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words. Articles and proposals for pieces should be sent to editor [at] insidehighered.com, letters to the editor should be sent to letters [at] insidehighered.com and all submissions should be sent as an attachment with “the author’s name, title, organizational affiliation and contact information on that attachment.”4 Only pieces that have not been published in other online or print publications will be accepted (personal blogs excluded). Additionally, footnotes are not published and authors should instead link to their sources of information within their pieces. It can take up to two weeks for editors to review the submission and discuss among themselves; after that period, editors will inform the submitter of their decision to publish the piece or not.
Views are articles “that have a strong point of view and that give our readers recommendations for new policies, strategies, actions or ways of thinking about issues in higher education.”5 Authors are encouraged to submit pieces that cover new topics, dispute the current way of thinking, and debunk myths.6
Articles in the Career section should be focused on giving advice to faculty and staff at higher education institutions, as well as graduate students. “Topics include searching for a job, managing and reporting to others, publishing, the graduate school experience, and other subjects related to careers in higher education.”7 Inside Higher Ed is also interested in pieces with a focus on teaching and working with students virtually or in person.
Letters to the editor should be used to respectfully challenge the views or opinions that were included in an article published on Inside Higher Ed’s website. The letter should also refer back to the article being challenged. “We will aim to publish letters that add to the debate on an issue and say something different from what’s been said to date. A letter that simply repeats the points made by previously [sic] letters may not be printed.”8
Editorial tone: There are no guidelines listed, however, Inside Higher Ed states that the readers enjoy the publication because of the independent voice, and “. . . thoughtful and substantive analysis on the pressing issues facing higher education today.”9
Style guide used: A style guide could not be located.
Conclusion: Evaluation of the publication’s potential for LIS authors
A search of the term “library” on the site only returned a few results directly related to academic libraries. Authors could capitalize on this gap and bring more exposure to issues, news, and careers within academic libraries at higher education institutions. Timely examples include discussion of the shift from in-person to virtual library services, how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the author’s library (funding, staffing, services offered, etc.), or unconventional services being offered by academic libraries.
Additionally, graduate students can gain publication experience by submitting pieces to the Careers section that give graduate school advice, whether LIS specific or general.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: On a monthly basis, Inside Higher Ed’s website sees 3.67 million unique visitors and a total of 7.5 million visitors.10 Inside Higher Ed’s Daily News Update is a daily email to subscribers that includes news, opinions, and jobs.11 There are 175,000 subscribers to the Daily News Update and 41% of subscribers read the Daily News Update every day.12 78% of these subscribers also read Inside Higher Ed at least once each week.
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Inside Higher Ed reports that 80% of readers are domestic and 20% are international.13
Reader characteristics: Readers of Inside Higher Ed are educated individuals with decision making and/or purchasing power at their institutions: “88% of our administrative and faculty readers have purchasing influence; 64% of readers with budgetary influence are directly responsible for making the ultimate purchase decision; 66% of our higher ed readers are administrators and 29% are in faculty, teaching or research positions; 83% of our readers have a master’s degree of [sic] higher. 37% have a doctorate.”14
Readers’ knowledge of LIS subject matter: While readers of Inside Higher Ed are very familiar with higher education, and therefore probably with academic libraries, readers will most likely not be familiar with LIS topics or jargon.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Publishing in Inside Higher Ed gives authors the opportunity to capitalize on the lack of articles on academic libraries and gain experience publishing in a well-read civilian publication.
Last updated: October 31, 2020
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