Government Information Quarterly

Publication Profiles > LIS Scholarly Journals > Government Information Quarterly

 

Publication analysis


About the publication

Title: Government Information Quarterly

ISSN: 0740-624X (Print) and 1872-9517 (Online)1

Website: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620202/description#description

Purpose, objective, or mission:Government Information Quarterly is an international journal that examines the intersection of policy, information technology, government, and the public.”2

Target audience: This is a cross-disciplinary journal, seeking submissions from disciplines including information science, public policy, public administration, political science, business, law, geography, information systems, communications, economics, sociology, computer science, and public health. Its purpose is to examine how policy, information technology, government and the public intersect. Articles of the most interest would be those concerning government policies on electronic resources and data.3

Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.4

Peer reviewed? Yes5

Type: Public Administration and LIS, scholarly6

Medium: Print and online7

Content: Government Information Quarterly has its focus on how “policies affect government information flows and the availability of government information; the use of technology to create and provide innovative government services; the impact of information technology on the relationship between the governed and those governing; and the increasing significance of information policies and information technology in relation to democratic practices.”8 The Quarterly includes original research, analytic essays, editorials, teaching cases, and case studies.9

Frequency of publication: Quarterly10

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620202/authorinstructions. This information is also available at this site as pdf download titled “Author Information Pack.” There are informative webcasts with advice for prospective authors at https://www.journals.elsevier.com/frontiers-in-neuroendocrinology/policies/publishing-connect-training-webcasts.

Types of contributions accepted: Per the guidelines, submissions that “include original research papers that are theory-driven research; papers that combine theory & practice; reviews & review essays, editorials, teaching cases and case studies”11 are encouraged. This is an international journal so contributions from all parts of the world are welcome; however, papers must be in either American or British English, with spelling consistent. This publication accepts new and revised manuscripts that have not been previously published and does not allow simultaneous submissions. Typical manuscripts are 25-30 pages in length, double-spaced.12

Submission and review process: The submission guidelines are extensive, beginning with a section covering topics such as ethics, copyright, conflict of interest, and the roles of funding sources. All submissions are made electronically online through the publisher’s website. The guidelines detail the expectations of article structure and there is a submission checklist.13

Articles are subject to a double-blind review process, performed by the editorial board and other peer reviewers. “The criterion for acceptance is appropriateness to the field, taking into account the merit of content and presentation.”14 Through the publisher’s online submission process authors are able to track their submission.

Editorial tone: This is a scholarly journal based on theory-driven research and submissions should follow research paper tone and format. The articles tend to take a clear, but formal tone. The writing is scholarly, well organized, and not overly wordy.15

Style guide used: Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association (APA), 6th edition.16

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

This scholarly journal is a good choice for information professionals interested in publishing research and analysis of government electronic information trends and best practices. They appear to be most interested in practical application and results of information policy, making it a good choice for action research publications. It would be suitable for professors attempting to build up publication credits for tenure, or graduate students interested in being published for the first time.

Journal metrics: Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP): 2.384; SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): 1.049; Impact Factor: 1.910; 5-Year Impact Impact Factor: 2.263.17

 

Audience analysis


About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: Unknown; not listed on their website or Ulrichsweb.com, and unavailable from publisher. It is likely that many people have access to this periodical through ScienceDirect, and that most, if not all, government libraries and information technology departments subscribe or access this publication online.18

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Though main audience is within the United States and is national in scope,19 this journal publishes articles on worldwide topics. For example past articles included: “Restructuring Taiwan’s Port State Control Inspection Authority,” and “Modernizing Bangladesh Public Administration Through e-Governance: Benefits and Challenges.”20 Government Information Quarterly is published in English,21 and the article submission guidelines indicate that they use common American or British spelling and grammar.22 The editorial board is international, with members in a variety of countries but mostly represented by the United States.23

Reader characteristics: Reader profiles were not available; however, it appears that this journal is aimed at government and library professionals, public administration professionals, and government information architects. The journal’s target audience includes government officials and policy makers, scientists, journalists, lawyers, researchers, teachers and scholars, students, and librarians. Articles would be of the most interest to those helping to steer government policy toward electronic resources and data.24

The editorial board is a mix of communications, information technology, law, library, and information sciences faculty as well as librarians and government officials.25 The heavy presence of faculty indicates that the journal veers toward more scholarly writing over applied theory (or “how-to” articles). The job titles of the board also tend to indicate they will favor articles on technology’s use in government services. A review of the articles published shows this to be true.26

No demographic information on the readers is available at this time, but it would appear from the selection of articles published that the subscribers would be in similar professional positions to the editors.27 This journal would be most useful to people making practical decisions related to public policy and the dissemination of government information or academics in the same areas, but there is a wide enough variety in the articles that law school staff and librarians (especially government documents librarians) would also be interested in the subject matter.28

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers are a cross section of librarians, information professionals, IT workers, lawyers and government officials. Technical jargon should be avoided and even basic LIS principles should be explained when included in an article.29 Ulrichsweb.com lists the subject area as “public administration.”30

Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors

Although this journal will accept articles on any topic related to government, the most popular (for publication, and for downloading once published) are on e-government and ways to use technology to further government services. There is room for other articles (for instance, “Standardized American Indians: The “€œNames of Indian tribes and bands”€ list from the Office of Indian Affairs “), but articles combining government services and information technology will be most well received. Information delivery topics, tailored to a government audience, would also be very well received.31

As noted above, subscribers would be reading this publication to keep abreast of current developments in the field of government information, and most articles of interest would deal with how to distribute such information effectively. The readers are primarily academics or government decision-makers. Authors should keep in mind that though scholarly in nature, the core of each article should deal with a practical problem, and offer solutions or at least a detailed analysis of the issue.

Last updated: April 26, 2017


References

Show 31 footnotes

  1.  Government Information Quarterly, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed April 11, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/search/-2053607882
  2. Government Information Quarterly, Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  3. Government Information Quarterly, Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  4. Government Information Quarterly, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed April 26, 2017, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1405971391820/146754
  5. Government Information Quarterly, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed April 26, 2017, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1405971391820/146754
  6. Government Information Quarterly, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed April 26, 2017, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1405971391820/146754
  7. Government Information Quarterly, Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, https://www.elsevier.com/journals/personal/government-information-quarterly/0740-624X
  8. Government Information Quarterly, Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  9. Government Information Quarterly, Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  10. Government Information Quarterly, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed April 26, 2017, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1405971391820/146754
  11. Government Information Quarterly, Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  12.  “Guide for Authors,” Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.elsevier.com/journals/government-information-quarterly/0740-624X/guide-for-authors
  13. “Guide for Authors,” Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.elsevier.com/journals/government-information-quarterly/0740-624X/guide-for-authors
  14. “Guide for Authors,” Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.elsevier.com/journals/government-information-quarterly/0740-624X/guide-for-authors
  15. “Guide for Authors,” Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.elsevier.com/journals/government-information-quarterly/0740-624X/guide-for-authors
  16. “Guide for Authors,” Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.elsevier.com/journals/government-information-quarterly/0740-624X/guide-for-authors
  17. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  18. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  19. SerialsSolutions. (2014). Government Information Quarterly: an international journal of information technology management, policies, and practices. Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. Retrieved from http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1405971391820/146754
  20. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Science Direct. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0740624X
  21. SerialsSolutions. (2014). Government Information Quarterly: an international journal of information technology management, policies, and practices. Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. Retrieved from http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1405971391820/146754
  22. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly: Guide for Authors. Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.com/journals/government-information-quarterly/0740-624X/guide-for-authors
  23. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly Editorial Board. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/editorial-board/
  24. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  25. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly Editorial Board. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/editorial-board/
  26. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Science Direct. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0740624X
  27. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Science Direct. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0740624X
  28. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  29. Elsevier B.V. (2014). Government Information Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/government-information-quarterly/
  30. SerialsSolutions. (2014). Government Information Quarterly: an international journal of information technology management, policies, and practices. Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. Retrieved from http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1405971391820/146754
  31. Government Information Quarterly, Elsevier B.V., accessed April 26, 2017, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0740624X
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