Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research
ISSN:1911-9593
Website: http://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/
Purpose, objective, or mission: Partnership is the journal of The Partnership organization, which is “Canada’s national network of provincial and territorial library associations.” The journal “promotes the exchange of ideas about libraries, librarianship, and information science among practitioners across all library sectors.”1
Target audience: Canadian librarians and library workers and LIS professionals, archivists, scholars, researchers, and students. Although the journal is published by The Partnership, a network of Canadian library associations with more than 7,000 people, it is an open-access journal, so its audience is not limited to members.2
Publisher: The Partnership: The Provincial and Territorial Library Associations of Canada (Ontario, Canada).3
Peer reviewed? Manuscripts submitted to the Theory and Research and the Innovations in Practice sections undergo double-blind peer review.4
Type: LIS scholarly journal.
Medium: Online, open access.5
Content: Regular sections in Partnership include Editor’s Comments, Innovations in Practice, Theory and Research, Features, Book Reviews, and News and Announcements.6
Frequency of publication: Twice a year.7
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: Submissions.
Types of contributions accepted: Partnership accepts “original, unpublished manuscripts in French or English on a broad range of topics relevant to library and information science practitioners in all library sectors.” The editors “encourage submissions which consider the Canadian context, but this is not a necessary condition for acceptance to the journal.”8 Each section has its own editorial guidelines in terms of topic, word count, tone, and approach.9
Submission and review process: Manuscripts are submitted electronically to the journal’s website.10 Manuscripts for the Theory and Research and the Innovations in Practice sections undergo a double-blind peer-review process, usually within two months of submission.11
Editorial tone: The tone depends on the section; it is overall scholarly but not overly formal.
Style guide used: APA (6th edition), with a modified style for online articles and documents.12
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
This open-access journal appears to be an excellent opportunity for Canadian LIS authors, as it is written for the Canadian LIS community. LIS authors outside of Canada are not excluded by the guidelines, but they should ensure their work meets the needs of the Canadian readers.13 The many sections–theory, pedagogy, practice, professional development, reviews, and library news–cover a huge variety of content and offer writers many opportunities for submitting work that ranges from scholarly to practical to reflective.14 There are a few must-read articles and editorials for authors submitting to Partnership, especially “Get Published! Straight Talk from the Editors at Partnership“15 and editorials reflecting on the journal’s past and future.16 Furthermore, the journal “provides a chance for librarians and library workers to be editors and reviewers.”17
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: According to a past announcement, in 2017 the journal received over 45,000 views. They have 1500 readers registered with their website.18
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: This is a Canadian bilingual publication (English and French) for librarians and information professionals of Canada. Authors would need to ensure their work meets their needs and explains any cultural or language differences.
Reader characteristics: Overall, Partnership has a very broad spectrum of readers in the Canadian library and information professions: librarians, library works, scholars, researchers, practitioners, and students. It can be safely assumed the readers are interested in promoting successful libraries and acquiring knowledge to allow them to succeed in their own work. The authors and content of the publication suggests that the majority of readers are working in all types of libraries.
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: The journal works to connect members of the Canadian library community,19 and the journal’s sections are variously academic, reflective, and newsy. Readers probably have a range of LIS knowledge, from the practical to the academic.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Authors should first take into consider how their work is broadly or specifically related to libraries and library scholarship in Canada. Furthermore, readers come to this journal to read on a a wide range of current topics in the library profession: research, pedagogy, professional development, and current news and profiles. Readers work at every level of the Canadian library profession and in all types of libraries.
Last updated: April 8, 2019
Comments are closed.