Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: The Journal of Community Informatics
ISSN: 1712-44411
Website: http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej
Purpose, objective, or mission: “Community Informatics (CI) is the study and the practice of enabling communities with Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). CI seeks to work with communities towards the effective use of ICTs to improve their processes, achieve their objectives, overcome the “digital divides” that exist both within and between communities, and empower communities and citizens in the range of areas of ICT application including for health, cultural production, civic management, and e-governance, among others.”2
“CI is concerned with how ICT can be useful to the range of traditionally excluded populations and communities, and how it can support local economic development, social justice and political empowerment using the Internet.”3
Target audience: Readership spans a wide variety of disciplines: “community activists, nonprofit groups, policymakers, users/citizens, and the range of academics working across (and integrating) disciplines as diverse as Information Studies, Management, Computer Science, Social Work, Planning, and Development Studies.”4
Publisher: The Journal of Community Informatics5
Peer reviewed? Yes6
Type: LIS scholarly7
Medium: Online8
Content: The journal includes a variety of “emerging issues within the CI field, includ(ing) community access to the internet, community information, online civic participation and community service delivery, community and local economic development, training networks, telework, social cohesion, learning, e-health and e-governance.”9
Frequency of publication: Quarterly10
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions
Types of contributions accepted: As per the journal website: “The Journal of Community Informatics accepts the submission of articles on any topic within the field of CI and from any geographic location and including Internet-enabled multimedia. Submitted articles are evaluated on the basis of their contribution to the knowledge and practice CI and on methodology, theoretical and empirical contribution, and style.”11
As this is an open access journal that is available globally, “editors will seek to ensure that the content of the journal is also global in scope, encouraging the submission of articles from the developing world. Articles incorporating the use of the diverse range of Internet accessible media are also encouraged.”12 This journal publishes articles in multiple languages.13
Submission and review process: “The submission should be in a Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), Rich Text Format (RTF), WordPerfect, or equivalent open source document file format. All identifying author information should be removed from the submission file. This includes any author names, affiliations, and/or other identifying information.”14
“For each article, the author must provide a 100-word abstract in English. As well, since the Journal is of interest to a multilingual community of scholars, we ask that the English abstract be followed where possible and depending on its subject matter, by additional abstracts in French, Spanish and/or Russian.”15
“Submitted articles will in general be reviewed by two external reviewers chosen for their knowledge in specific sub-areas of CI. . . . Our intention is to publish research as quickly as possible. Our electronic submission process is designed to facilitate rapid publication. Articles may at this time be submitted and will be peer reviewed in English, French, Spanish, and Russian. Abstracts in English must be provided for all articles.”16
Editorial tone: Academic17
Style guide used: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition18
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
The Journal of Community Informatics provides an excellent forum for LIS authors interested in publishing scholarly articles related to the field of community informatics. Because of the global reach of this journal, and the specific policy of encouraging global and first-time authors,19, LIS graduate students and established professionals alike could potentially find a voice in this publication.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: As this is an open-access journal, circulation statistics are not available. However, The Journal of Community Informatics does keep statistics of abstract and article views. Readers are encouraged to register for the journal’s publishing notification service, which “allows the journal to claim a certain level of support or readership.”20
Journal total views since August 27, 2006:
- Abstract views: 1,696,513
- Article views: 3,308,26921
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: As this journal serves a global audience, authors should avoid regional or culture-specific references. Articles are published in English, French, Spanish and Russian. Authors should be aware that readers may not be fluent in the language of submission, so should avoid LIS jargon. Since The Journal of Community Informatics is a scholarly journal, it is expected that the reader has knowledge and interest in the topic, and is most likely a professional.22
Reader characteristics: As per their site: “The Journal of Community Informatics speaks to a network of academics, CI practitioners and national and multi-lateral policy makers.”23 This is also a global readership that spans a multitude of cultures and languages.
Reader knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers will have a general knowledge and interest in the issues surrounding the field of community informatics, but because this is journal reaches such a diverse cross-section of cultures, languages, and professions, their knowledge of LIS subject matter may be specialized or limited.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Readers of the Journal of Community Informatics span a wide variety of cultures, languages and professions. What they have in common is an interest in the field of community informatics. From “academics, CI practioners and . . . policy makers”24, this is a passionate audience that is interested in serving local communities.25 The impact of an author on such a diverse audience is potentially great. As The Journal of Community Informatics is a free online publication, authors also benefit from a large global readership.
Last updated: May 14, 2017
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