Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Information & Culture: A Journal of History
The journal has gone through a number of name changes:
2006-2012, Libraries and the Cultural Record
1987-2006, Libraries and Culture
1973-1987, Journal of Library History
1972-1973, Journal of Library History, Philosophy, and Comparative Librarianship
1966-1972, Journal of Library History1
ISSN: XXXX-XXXX
Website: http://www.infoculturejournal.org/
Purpose, objective, or mission: Per journal website, Information & Culture “. . . publishes high-quality, peer reviewed articles on topics related to the history of information. The journal’s scope has broadened significantly in recent years to encompass the historical study of any topic that would fall under the purview of the modern interdisciplinary schools of information . . . However, the journal honors its (50+ year) heritage by continuing to publish in the areas of library, archival, museum, conservation, and information science history.”2
Target audience: Library historians and other scholars whose interests might relate to the history of information, such as historians of computing, labor, gender, economics, business, and politics; critical theorists, and scholars of cultural studies, science, and technology3
Publisher: University of Texas Press4
Peer reviewed? Yes5
Type: LIS and history, scholarly6
Medium: Print, with online subscriptions available.7
Content: The journal website states, “In keeping with the spirit of information studies, the work is human centered and explores the interactions of people, organizations, and societies with information and technologies. Social and cultural context of information and information technology, viewed from a historical perspective, is at the heart of the journal’s interests.”8
Frequency of publication: Quarterly9
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: http://www.infoculturejournal.org/submissions
Types of contributions accepted: Research articles10 and book reviews11 and book reviews
Among the content requirements are that an article be primarily historical in nature, take an interpretative, not merely descriptive approach, and have a clearly stated thesis supported by appropriately cited evidence.12
Submission and review process: Manuscripts should be submitted via email, accompanied by a cover sheet and abstract, in MS Word format. Authors are asked to provide the names of at least two potential reviewers.13 Submission includes an initial review by the editor, and, if accepted, a double blind process by at least two outside reviewers.14
Editorial tone: Scholarly15
Style guide used: Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition.16
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
LIS authors may find that it is a bit more difficult to get articles published in this journal as the acceptance rate is less than half. However, the journal is very prestigious. The editors state that “we do not yet have enough data to make an accurate forecast of acceptance rates. For the period April 2011-March 2012 our acceptance rate was 20.5%. We anticipate that the acceptance rate will stabilize at well below 50 percent of submitted manuscripts.”17
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: Exact submission numbers not available.
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Readership is worldwide. However, based on the content of the articles, most readers most likely reside in North America, South America, and Europe. In past issues, there were articles about Mexico, France, and the United States as well as a review of a book in German. This indicates the editorial board expects reader interest to be broader than merely North America.18 The journal publishes articles in English,19 but the topics are wide ranging and are not necessarily limited to the English-speaking world.20
Reader characteristics: Readers of this journal are generally scholars and professionals in a variety of fields, but especially history and library science. This publication has a broad base of support in a variety of disciplines. Articles could easily fit under history, literature, art, and political science as well as library science.21 The professional interests of the readers of this publication would be generally academic and scholarly. It might fit those working in all manners of libraries, museums, and archives as well as both faculty and students at academic institutions. The journal strongly follows a particular historiography, that of social and cultural history. In this sense, it is far less likely that one would find an article that is based in political history or in reconstructing grand narratives.22
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Knowledge of LIS subject matter is very high when it comes to the historical aspects of the profession. Because other academics in other disciplines are actively participating in the creation and use of this journal, knowledge of current information profession issues might not be as high as it is with other LIS-specific journals.23
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Readers of this publication are generally highly educated, scholarly, and professional. Potential authors need to be exact and precise and have expertise in the field. The journal, while overwhelmingly about library science topics, is also very rooted in historical study. The editorial staff and the readers are exacting in their quest for solid scholarship.
Last updated: May 6, 2017
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