Wiki Tags Archives: Science

The University of Chicago Press

By Katie Wood on April 25, 2021 in

Publisher analysis

About the publisher

: https://press.uchicago.edu/index.html

Name: The University of Chicago Press Books

Purpose, objective, or mission: Founded in 1890, the mission of the Press is “the obligation to disseminate scholarship of the highest standard and to publish serious works that promote education, foster public understanding, and enrich cultural life. Through our books and journals, we seek not only to advance scholarly conversation within and across traditional disciplines but, in keeping with the University of Chicago’s experimental tradition, to help define new areas of knowledge and intellectual endeavor.”¹

Target audience: Both scholars and casual audiences, in the United States and abroad. ²

Owner: The University of Chicago Press.

Are published books peer reviewed? Unknown

Types of books published: Research, reference works, educational texts, “non-scholarly work by writers, artists, and intellectuals from within and beyond the academy, translations of important foreign-language texts, both historical and contemporary, and books that contribute to the public’s understanding of Chicago and its region”. ³

Medium: Print and digital. ⁴

Topics covered: Subjects include: Literature and Criticism, Sociology, Education, Music, Anthropology, History, Art, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Digital Studies, Environmental Studies, Writing Guides, General Reference, Regional Reference, Political Science, Religion and Philosophy, and Economics & Business. ⁵

Number of titles published per year: “The Books Division has published more than eleven thousand books since the Press was founded. It has more than five thousand books in print at the present time.” ⁶

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: http://press.uchicago.edu/infoServices/books_submissions.html

Types of submissions accepted: Book proposals only on accepted subjects. The Press has a separate division for journals. The publisher explicitly states they do not accept unrevised dissertations, Festschriften, or works of original fiction.

Submission and review process: “If you wish to present a book proposal, please write to one of our acquisitions editors, by post or email, sending a letter of introduction, curriculum vitae, table of contents, and a prospectus. You may include a sample chapter, but please do not send a complete manuscript unless invited.” ⁷

“There is no set format, but a good project description (or book proposal, as it is also called), will include an accessible overview of the work, a concise chapter-by-chapter summary, an account of your book’s relationship to comparable or competing works, your assessment of your book’s audience, and practical details including length, number of illustrations, and the status of the work. All this should be accomplished in 5-10 pages. For suggestions on project descriptions and other elements of a submission, we highly recommend chapter 5 of William Germano’s Getting It Published.” ⁸

“You may hear from us very quickly, but you should expect to hear in three to four weeks. If you have not heard within a month from the editor to whom you submitted your project, feel free to send a query by e-mail.” ⁹

Editorial tone: Unknown.

Style guide used: Unknown, though keep in mind that the Press publishes The Chicago Manual of Style.

Conclusion: Evaluation of publisher’s potential for LIS authors

The Press publishes across a wide array of subjects, including books about both library science and publishing. Glance over the list of currently published LIS books on their website to get a better sense of what the Press is looking for. In looking at the list of currently published books, there have only been seven titles published on LIS-specific subject matter in the past ten years. This provides ample opportunity for LIS authors to publish in an arena that does not currently have a diverse catalog, fulfilling a niche for this publisher. Prospective authors penning writing guides, or writing about literary, media, cultural studies or education are encouraged to contact an appropriate editor.

Audience analysis

About the publisher’s audience

Size: This is a relatively large publishing house, having published more than 11,000 works since its foundation in 1890. It’s editors have worked to “build a broad but coherent publishing program engaged with authors and readers around the world.”¹⁰

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The Press publishes books that appeal to a vast, international audience: books about Chicago and surrounding areas, translations of foreign language texts and significant non scholarly works are just a sampling of their publications.¹¹ If published by the Press, their marketing department ensures that publicity and promotions will be conducted in the United States as well as from satellite offices in the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan.¹²

Reader characteristics: Scholars and casual readers with specific interests.

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Because University of Chicago Press publishes on an array of topics, readers will have a spectrum of knowledge of LIS subject matter.

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

Readers of books published by the Press can generally be considered knowledgeable and, potentially, subject experts. The Press also distributes dozens of other publications from the likes of the American Meteorological Society, Association of University Presses, Amsterdam University Press and many others from all over the world.¹³ Considering that many of these, like the Press, are affiliated with a university, potential authors may want to keep in mind that the general readership leans in a scholarly direction.

Last updated: April 25, 2021

References

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Facet Publishing

By Katie Wood on March 1, 2021 in

Publisher analysis

About the publisher

Name: Facet Publishing

Website: http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/

Purpose, objective, or mission: Facet Publishing is “Facet Publishing, the commercial publishing and bookselling arm of CILIP: the library and information association, is the leading publisher of books for library, information and heritage professionals worldwide.” ¹

Target audience: “We publish a range of titles for practitioners, researchers and students with authorship from some of the leading minds in the field.” ²

Owner: CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. ³

Are published books peer reviewed? “All new book proposals undergo a full single blind peer review process in order to fully evaluate and develop the content we commission.” ⁴

Types of books published: LIS professional books, textbooks, series and eBooks.

Medium: Print and electronic, though not all titles are available in both formats.

Topics covered: Over thirty LIS subjects are published by Facet, including subject headings such as Archives, e-Learning, Research Data Management, and Copyright, Information Law, and Ethics. ⁵

Number of titles published per year: According to Facet Publishing’s 2020-2021 Catalogue, they published almost 20 new products in 2020 and will be publishing another 11 in 2021, along with numerous new editions of older works. ⁶

About the publisher’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: https://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/page/authors/

Types of submissions accepted: “We welcome new book proposals for textbooks, professional books and monographs in LIS, knowledge management, data science, archives, cultural heritage and digital humanities.” ⁷

Submission and review process: Click HERE to go to the Authors Resources page, where you can download “Book Proposal Form”. You will need to complete the form as completely as possible, including details about the book, intended audience, subject areas, and a biography. Send completed form to: info@facetpublishing.co.uk

Editorial tone: None listed, but consider that Facet publishes for students and professionals already well versed in the LIS field.

Style guide used: Use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), 16th edition, as your primary style guide. http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

Click this link to find style guide information: How to Supply your Book to Facet Publishing

Style tips

Abbreviations & Acronyms: spell out the full name at first use, followed by the
acronym/abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, the acronym/abbreviation
will suffice. Do not begin a sentence with an acronym/abbreviation.
i.e. and e.g. should not be followed by a comma.
Apostrophes: Master’s not Masters.
Symbols: Ampersands (&) may be used in company names and are correct in
some journals but should not be used in running text.
Percentages: use the % symbol.
Bulleted/Numbered lists: bulleted lists are used for short points and do not
require punctuation at the end of each line. Ensure the list agrees grammatically
with the preceding sentence. Consider numbered lists for longer points.
Capitalisation: use initial capitals for proper nouns only. It is not necessary to
capitalise ‘library’ and ‘librarian’ unless a particular library or librarian is referred
to, e.g. Bodley’s Librarian or The London Library.
Quotations: use single quotation marks, with double quotation marks for
quotations within quotations. Quotations of more than 60 words should start
on a new line and be indented. Do not alter quotations to house style.
Reference to appear at the end of the quote in brackets: (Smith, 1998).
Numbers: use words for numbers one to ten and figures thereafter.
Dates: 9 March 2016; tenth century; 21st century; 1981–5 but 1914–18; 1990s.
Punctuation: no punctuation at the end of subheadings, figure captions or
table captions. No oxford comma before final ‘and’ or ‘or’ in lists.
UK ‘s’ spellings: ‘ise’

Bibliographic references (for more information see our Guide to Referencing)

Chicago ‘Author Date’ style is preferred. We also accept Harvard style. If you
wish to use any other style please discuss this with your commissioning editor.
Footnotes should not be used. Notes should be collated at book-end for
monographs and chapter-end for contributed volumes.
In-text references: the author’s name, date of publication (and page reference
if necessary) should be given in the text e.g. (Smith, 1998, 34–8).
List of references: references should be organised alphabetically by author’s
surname at the end of a monograph before the index, or at the end of each
chapter in a contributed volume. ⁸

Conclusion: Evaluation of publisher’s potential for LIS authors

Facet publishes across a wide array of LIS topics, making them a publisher to strongly consider no matter what your subject field may be. Potential authors should keep in mind that Facet requests very detailed information from each book proposal, so authors should have a clear idea of their marketability and relevance. Authors should be sure to carefully read the book submission guidelines to ensure that all questions have been addressed.

Audience analysis

About the publisher’s readers

Publication circulation: Based in the United Kingdom, but Facet has agents and representatives around the world. “Our business has a long-standing global profile. We market and sell books all over the world and the Facet brand is recognised as the home of quality content for the information professions.” ⁹

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Facet is the bookseller for CILIP, a library and science information association in the U.K., though they emphasize that their publications extend into the international LIS world. They have representatives and agents in countries all over the world, making publications available to a world wide audience.

Reader characteristics: Readers of Facet publications are information professionals. Facet’s bestselling publications include titles such as Managing Records: A handbook of principles and practice and Practical Cataloging, so it can be assumed that their readers have more than a casual knowledge of LIS subject matter.

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers are students, academics and professionals with a strong knowledge or strong interest in LIS subject matter.

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

Facet publishes for an audience in and outside of the United Kingdom. Their works range from LIS textbooks to simple ‘No-nonsense’ guides about topics such as archives and legal issues in Web 2.0, showing that Facet’s readers vary in their knowledge on contemporary LIS topics. This span in readership could make Facet a viable publisher for potential authors across many different subjects.

Last updated: March 1, 2021

References

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Mental Floss

By Katie Wood on December 5, 2020 in

Publication analysis

About the publication

Title: Mental Floss

ISSN: Print: 1543-4702 (ceased), Online: N/A ¹

Website: http://www.mentalfloss.com/

Purpose, objective, or mission: “Whether we’re covering history, science, pop culture, language, music, true crime, or entertainment, we help our audience feel smarter. Our New York City-based team of editors and writers—as well as our worldwide network of contributors—answers life’s big questions, uncovers fascinating facts, and finds stories so interesting that our readers absolutely must share them.”²

“Mental Floss delivers smart, fun and shareable content in an upbeat and witty environment. An encyclopedia of everything, we answer life’s big questions and uncover stories so interesting our readers absolutely must share them. We take all culture and make it pop culture.” ³

Target audience: “Curious People.” ⁴

Publisher: Minute Media. ⁵

Peer reviewed? No.

Type: Civilian publication.

Medium: Online. Print issues ceased in 2016. ⁶

Content: Fun and informative pieces on a wide variety of subjects with a focus on shareability.⁷

Frequency of publication: Daily.

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/625670/how-to-pitch-mental-floss

Types of contributions accepted: “We’re always looking for new voices to write about the diverse verticals we cover, whether that’s history, science, entertainment, language, pop culture, art, or beyond.” ⁸

PITCHES WE CAN USE ⁹
Lists

Lists are an overview of a topic in digestible-nugget form. Each list will cover the who, what, when, and where of the subject, plus its significance, and pay particular attention to quirky or little-known facts about the subject. Pitches may focus on the below topics:

Subjects that have a major anniversary coming up
Historical figures and events
Movies and TV series
Music
Literature and art
Language
Food and drink
Helpful tips and life hacks
Scientific discoveries, phenomena, and figures
Pop culture fads, events, and personalities

Features

Features are reported stories that delve into a topic from a particular angle and with strong characters and storytelling. Features can be short (500 words) or longer (800-1500 words). Areas ripe for features include:

Historical events that put current events into perspective
Exploring and/or answering a big question
Science stories that explain a new field of research or highlight a scientist’s ongoing work
A deep dive into a pop culture event or phenomenon in history
True crime and unsolved mysteries
Features about odd, unique, or little-known historical events and people

PITCHES WE CAN’T USE ¹⁰
Short, timely news stories: these pieces are covered by our staff writers
Science articles based on a single study: these are also covered by staff writers
First-person articles or personal essays
Fiction, memoir, or poetry
Current politics or political opinion
Stories based solely on PR pitches

Tips provided by Mental Floss: Keep your pitch short (1-2 paragraphs) and let them know if you have a particular expertise on the subject. Include a link to your portfolio/work samples. Do not pitch or send completed articles. Take the time to brainstorm a possible headline for your story, and include that as part of the subject line, i.e. Freelance Pitch: 50 Amazing Facts About Animals. Having a headline can help us better understand the angle you plan to use with your story. ¹¹

Submission and review process: “Expect a response to your pitch within two weeks. If you do not receive a response after two weeks, you can assume it’s a pass. Due to the number of pitches we receive each day, we are unfortunately not able to respond to every pitch we receive.” ¹²

Editorial tone: Informal and conversational. Witty, humorous, and informative.

Style guide used: None stated.

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

This would be an excellent publication for LIS authors. Librarians are knowledge and information brokers and are often referred to as Renaissance people because of their vast array of knowledge. This type of website caters to that deep storehouse of information. And this website in particular might provide a nice respite from the regular scholarly articles—a way to showcase not only your knowledge but your sense of humor.

Audience analysis

About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: “Since its founding in a Duke University dorm room in 2001, Mental Floss has reached more than 1 billion readers with smart, quirky content presented in a witty, upbeat voice. We reach more than 19 million users per month across our site, social media accounts, and popular YouTube channel.” ¹³

According to Visitor’s Worth website, Mental Floss has approximately 58,000 daily visitors, with 154,000 daily page views. ¹⁴

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: According to Visitor’s Worth website, the most traffic for the publication comes from audiences in the United States, but the website also has a following in the UK, Canada, India, and Germany. ¹⁵ The website publishes in the English language.

Reader characteristics: In general, readers want to expand their knowledge in easily digested tidbits without having to read a whole book on a subject. For example, a past issue boiled down complex theories such as chaos theory, string theory, evolution, game theory, and artificial intelligence into one-to-two-page summaries that mix facts with wit and humor. There are no particular biases in the readership of this publication, except a propensity for trivia and Jeopardy-like knowledge.

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers’ LIS knowledge would vary depending on their interest and work environment. It would be safe to assume a number of librarians read and enjoy this publication, but as the focus is on providing intelligent, humorous articles, use of LIS jargon should be avoided.

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

Potential authors should keep in mind that readers already have a vast amount of information and wish to add to that knowledge in an enjoyable way. When writing articles for this publication, try to mix education with entertainment. No topic is off limits if you can approach it with new or interesting information presented in a fun way.

Last updated: December 5, 2020

References

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Journal of eScience Librarianship (JeSLIB)

By Lisa Lowdermilk on April 16, 2018 in

About the publication

Title: Journal of eScience Librarianship (JeSLIB)

ISSN: 2161-3974¹

Website: https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/jeslib/

Purpose, objective, or mission: “The Journal of eScience Librarianship (JeSLIB) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal advancing the theory and practice of librarianship focusing on services related to data-driven research in science, technology, engineering, math, social sciences, medicine, and public health.”²

Target audience: JeSLIB is geared towards librarians and other LIS professionals interested in eScience.³

Publisher: University of Massachusetts Medical School⁴

Medium: Online⁵

Peer reviewed: Yes⁶

Content: “JeSLIB explores the many roles of librarians in supporting eScience and welcomes articles by contributors from all areas of the globe related to education, outreach, collaborations, policy, tools, and best practices. Submissions covering both theoretical and practical applications are welcomed.

General topics of interest may include but are not limited to:

Research data management
Librarians embedded on research teams
Data services, including policy development
Data curation
Data sharing and re-use
Data management plans
Data preservation
Metadata and discoverability
Institutional and discipline-specific repositories
Impact of governmental or institutional policies
Open data, open science and open access
Data literacy and data education
Data citation
Tracking impact of research data, metrics
Big data
Visualization”⁷

Type: Academic / Scholarly⁸

Frequency of publication: Once or twice a year⁹

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/jeslib/styleguide.html

Types of contributions accepted:

“Full-Length Paper
eScience in Action
Letter to the Editor
Review
Video Article
Commentary”¹⁰

Submission and review process: As is standard, the journal only accepts original, unpublished manuscripts which aren’t currently under review elsewhere.¹¹ After reviewing the submission guidelines, authors must follow the directions to submit their manuscripts at this link.

The journal uses a double-blind peer review process, which typically takes six to eight weeks to complete.¹²

Editorial tone: The tone is described as “academic / scholarly”¹³ and “clear and concise.”¹⁴

Style guide used: The journal asks authors to use the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.¹⁵

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

JeSLIB is an excellent publication for LIS authors interested in tackling scientific issues through the lens of an LIS perspective. Additionally, due to its open access policy, JeSLIB authors have the potential to share their research with readers worldwide. Thirdly, the journal is indexed in the prestigious PubMed database.¹⁶ All in all, JeSLIB is a very prestigious publication for qualified LIS authors.

Audience analysis

About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: The journal is freely available to readers online (no subscription required), and its articles have been downloaded over 100,000 times.¹⁷

Audience location: Although the journal is published in English, readers hail from a wide variety of countries all over the world.¹⁸

Reader characteristics: The majority of readers will be LIS professionals and/or professionals “in science, technology, engineering, math, social sciences, medicine, and public health.”¹⁹

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: On account of JeSLIB‘s often specialized subject matter (e.g., metadata, data visualization, etc.),²⁰ it’s safe to assume that most readers will have extensive knowledge of LIS subject matter.

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

Ideally, authors will have experience in at least one of the aforementioned scientific fields. Readers will expect authors to thoroughly explain their findings in the interest of the scientific integrity. Many readers will also expect authors to have professional experience in a scientific field, such as an academic degree and/or job experience. Finally, readers will expect all articles to be discussed in relation to LIS subject matter, in keeping with the journal’s purpose.

Last updated: April 18, 2018

Show 20 footnotes

Chandos Publishing

By Rachel Greggs on February 22, 2018 in

Publisher analysis

About the publisher

Name: Chandos Publishing

Website: https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals/chandos-publishing

Purpose, objective, or mission: Chandos is “an international leading publisher in contemporary library and information science, and social science. With a truly global perspective, Chandos produces high-value resource books combining theory and practice for researchers, academics, and practitioners. “¹ They are an imprint of the publishing house Elsevier, founded in 1880.

Target audience: LIS professionals and those in the social sciences fields.

Owner: Elsevier

Are published books peer reviewed? Yes. Elsevier’s book proposal form asks potential authors to list three experts in the field who could provide input as part of the book’s review panel. All proposals are read by Elsevier editorial staff and selected external reviewers.²

Types of books published: Reference, textbooks, research books.

Medium: Print and digital.

Topics covered: Over 300 titles are incorporated into the following key series:

- Information Professional Series
- Social Media Series
- Learning and Teaching Series
- Asian Studies Series³

Number of titles published per year: In 2020, Chandos published five books in the LIS field.⁴

About the publisher’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: https://www.elsevier.com/authors/book-authors

Types of submissions accepted: “We offer a range of digital and print products to suit different subject areas, information types and customer needs. These include: reference, textbooks, fast-turn content, Major Reference Works, Reference Modules, stories and serials, laboratory and practical manuals, and atlases.” ⁵

Information that needs to be included in your proposal:

Working Title
Key Words
Author(s) and/or editors(s)
Aims and scope/Background and purpose
Your intended audience and benefits
Competing resources
Table of contents
Publishing Timeline
Sample content/chapter
Qualified reviewers

To access the official Proposal form, see Submissions process section HERE

Submission and review process: Download and fill out the proposal and send the completed form to our proposal mailbox including the following details in the subject line of your email: Proposal in (subject area) / (author name: working title)⁶

Editorial tone: Professional. The home page for Chandos Publishing states that they produce books for researchers, academics and practitioners.⁷

Style guide used: Unknown.

Conclusion: Evaluation of publisher’s potential for LIS authors

Though Elsevier is a large publishing house that is heavy on journals, LIS book authors could possibly find a good fit with Chandos. In 2020, some of their published book titles included Disaster Planning for Special Libraries, Future Directions in Digital Information, and Technology, Change, and the Academic Library. ⁸Elsevier is especially supportive of less experienced researchers and authors. Their website Researcher Academy offers in depth teaching modules to help authors learn about getting their works published and promoted.

Audience analysis

About the publisher’s audience

Size: Chandos is a sizable LIS publisher. Their online catalog shows 598 books currently in print.

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Though Elsevier’s headquarters is in the Netherlands, Chandos states that they are an international publisher for the global LIS community. They feature a book series entitled the Asian Studies series, producing titles such as China’s Publishing Industry and Scholarly Communication in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Chandos also publishes international titles such as Succession Planning in Canadian Academic Libraries and Australian Library Supervision and Management.

Reader characteristics: Readers of works published by Chandos will likely be LIS academics and professionals seeking out books on specific subject matter.

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: The home page for Chandos publishing states that they publish for “researchers, academics and practitioners,” so authors can assume that readers could potentially have an expert knowledge in the field.

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

Readers of works published by Chandos are LIS professionals located all over the world. With works such as Disaster Planning for Special Libraries and The Impact of Print-On-Demand on Academic Books, it’s clear that readers come to Chandos with well defined information needs that pertain to specific areas within the LIS field.

Last updated: February 22, 2018

References

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Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA)

By Lisa Lowdermilk on February 16, 2018 in

Publication analysis

About the publication

Title: Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA)

ISSN: 1536-5050 (Print)¹ and 1558-9439 (Online)²

Website: http://jmla.mlanet.org/ojs/jmla

Purpose, objective, or mission: According to the journal’s website: “The Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) is an international, peer-reviewed specialty journal that aims to advance the practice and research knowledgebase of health sciences librarianship.”³

Target audience: Instructors, practitioners, and students interested in the practice and research aspects of health sciences librarianship.⁴

Publisher: University Library System / University of Pittsburgh.⁵

Peer reviewed? Yes.⁶

Type: LIS scholarly.⁷

Medium: Print and online.⁸

Content: This journal covers a variety of topics pertaining to health sciences librarianship, including information literacy, the information behaviors of cancer survivors, library instruction in medical education, evidence-based practice, etc.⁹

Frequency of publication: Quarterly.¹⁰

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines:

http://jmla.mlanet.org/ojs/jmla/about/submissions#authorGuidelines

Types of contributions accepted: The journal accepts original submissions in a variety of categories, including original investigations, case studies, systematic reviews, obituaries, commentaries, and letters to the editor.¹¹

Submission and review process: Each category has different requirements or guidelines for authors to follow concerning length and format, among other criteria. For example, an original investigation should be a maximum of 5,000 words and contain the following sections: an abstract (which is a maximum of 250 words), introduction, methods, results, and discussion.¹²

JMLA uses a double-blind peer review process, which takes up to eight weeks from the time of submission.¹³

Editorial tone: Scholarly.¹⁴

Style guide used: The journal uses several style guides, including the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals; the Medical Library Association (MLA) Style Manual;Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 2nd edition; the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style; and the latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.¹⁵

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

The JMLA is arguably the premier medical librarianship journal. Additionally, the organization for which it is named dates back to 1898 and “is the second oldest special library association in the United States.”¹⁶ Authors looking to establish themselves in the field of health sciences librarianship should seriously consider submitting to the JMLA.

Audience analysis

About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: Although exact circulation numbers are unavailable, the Medical Library Association “currently has more than 4,000 health sciences information professional members and partners worldwide.”¹⁷

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: International,¹⁸ although the journal is based in the U.S. and is published in English.¹⁹

Reader characteristics: Most readers are likely to be members of the Medical Library Association (MLA) and thus, are professionals or students within the medical librarianship field. At the very least, readers are interested in medical librarianship and will expect articles that are up-to-date with the latest advancements in the field.²⁰

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers of the journal will likely have a background in LIS with specific knowledge within the medical LIS field.²¹

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

The audience for this publication is interested in original, cutting-edge research pertinent to the specialized field of medical librarianship. Additionally, readers will expects articles which are technical in nature and scholarly in tone. Thus, authors should possess specialized technical knowledge of medical librarianship and ideally, have professional experience within this field.

Last updated: February 16, 2018

References

Show 21 footnotes

Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST)

By Lisa Lowdermilk on February 8, 2018 in

Publication analysis

About the publication

Title: Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) (Previously the American Society for Information Science and Technology)

ISSN: 2330-1643¹

Website: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2330-1643

Purpose, objective, or mission: The stated purpose of JASIST is to provide a “leading international forum for peer-reviewed research in information science.”²

Target audience: LIS professionals who are involved with or interested in the tools and techniques of information management.³

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc.⁴

Peer reviewed? Yes.⁵

Type: LIS scholarly journal.⁶

Medium: Print and Online.⁷

Content: This journal publishes original research on “…the production, discovery, recording, storage, representation, retrieval, presentation, manipulation, dissemination, use, and evaluation of information and on the tools and techniques associated with these processes.”⁸

Frequency of publication: Monthly.⁹

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%291532-2890/homepage/ForAuthors.html

Types of contributions accepted: “The Journal welcomes rigorous work of an empirical, experimental, ethnographic, conceptual, historical, socio-technical, policy-analytic, or critical-theoretical nature.”¹⁰ The type of writing influences submission length. Most commonly, JASIST publishes research articles between 6,000 and 8,000 words. The journal also publishes brief communications (1,000 to 2,000 words) which detail unique advances in information science, as well as opinion papers (2,000 to 3,000 words), letters to the editor (a maximum of 400 words), AIS reviews (8,000 to 10,000 words), and book reviews (the length of which is unspecified).¹¹

Submission and review process: Manuscripts submitted to JASIST undergo a single-blind review process, which is based on the input of the editor-in-chief, a review editor, and a minimum of two peer reviewers who have expertise in the manuscript’s subject matter.¹² JASIST also has a handy diagram of the editorial process available at this link.

Editorial tone: Scholarly, unbiased, formal, and informative¹³

Style guide used: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (current edition).¹⁴

Conclusion: Evaluation of the publication’s potential for LIS authors

This journal is an excellent choice for LIS authors who have prepared in-depth original research papers on the evaluation and dissemination of information. Recently published articles focus on text mining, the value consumers place on personal information, etc.¹⁵

Audience analysis

About the publication’s readers

Circulation: No information is available on circulation numbers.

Geographic location: JASIST is published in English but has an international reach.¹⁶

Language or cultural considerations: “Authors for whom English is a second language should consider having their manuscript professionally edited before submission.”¹⁷

Reader characteristics: Members of the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) comprise the majority of this journal’s audience. (ASIS&T was formerly known as the American Society for Information Science and Technology.) ASIS&T members include “thousands of researchers, developers, practitioners, students, and professors in the field of information science and technology from 50 countries around the world.”¹⁸

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers are most likely graduate and post-graduate LIS professionals with an interest in research and a thorough background in LIS terminology. Articles in the February 2018 issue, for example, cover technical subjects such as cloud management, system design, and bibliometric models.¹⁹

Biases, values, and attitudes: Like all information professionals, ASIS&T members oppose censorship of all forms and value open, unbiased, and accurate communication. If the subject matter of an article does convey a bias, however, ASIS&T members prefer that it is clearly stated.²⁰

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

Authors who wish to write for JASIST need to be well-versed in information technology. Furthermore, graduate and post-graduate researchers interested in conducting original research on emerging information technology trends will feel right at home with this journal.²¹

Last updated: February 8, 2018

References

Show 21 footnotes

Medical Reference Services Quarterly

By Maria Notarangelo on February 7, 2018 in

Publication analysis

About the publication

Title: Medical Reference Services Quarterly

ISSN: 0276-3869 (print), 1540-9597 (online)

Website: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wmrs20/current

Purpose, objective, or mission: Medical Reference Services Quarterly “covers topics of current interest and practical value in the areas of reference in medicine and related specialties, the biomedical sciences, nursing, and allied health.” The journal publishes practice-oriented and research articles on medical reference services, with a focus on “user education, database searching, and electronic information.”¹

Target audience: Medical Reference Services Quarterly is an “essential working tool for medical and health sciences librarians” aimed at “professionals who provide reference and public services to health sciences personnel in clinical, educational, or research settings” in the fields of medicine, biomedical science, nursing, allied health.²

Publisher: Taylor & Francis.³

Peer reviewed? Yes, double-blind peer review.⁴

Type: LIS scholarly journal.

Medium: Print and online.⁵

Content: Medical Reference Services Quarterly publishes original practical and research articles on health sciences librarianship. Regular columns include Online Updates, Emerging Technologies, Hospital Information Services, Informatics Education, From the Literature, and Book Reviews.⁶ Recent topics include using the Internet for providing medical information, using biomedical databases, managing medical reference services, continuing education, marketing, user education, document delivery, patient education, ready reference, and collection management, all within the context of medical reference services.⁷

Frequency of publication: Quarterly.⁸

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: Instructions for authors.

Types of contributions accepted: “Medical Reference Services Quarterly covers topics of current interest and practical value in public services librarianship in the areas of medicine and related specialties, including the biomedical sciences, nursing, and allied health. MRSQ has expanded its scope to cover most aspects of health sciences librarianship, including health informatics, information literacy, collection development, and management of health sciences libraries”⁹

Submission and review process: Submissions are submitted via email to the editor as Word file attachments. Manuscripts are screened for originality.¹⁰ Manuscripts are “are peer reviewed using a rigorous, double-blind process” by two reviewers assigned based on subject expertise.¹¹

Editorial tone: Formal and scholarly.

Style guide used: Chicago Publication Manual, 16th ed.¹²

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

Medical Reference Services Quarterly is a journal for LIS professionals who specialize in medical and health science information services in clinical, educational, or research settings, and who produce articles of practical application and original research. Authors should be aware that this is a high-level, “highly acclaimed,” professional and research journal, with an emphasis on articles that analyze and evaluate practical application in all types of medical and health science library and information settings.¹³

Audience analysis

About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: Not provided.

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Medical Reference Services Quarterly is written in English for a U.S.-based audience. The editors and editorial board members are from U.S. institutions.¹⁴

Reader characteristics: Readers are likely to be well educated (often having a science or medical degree and an LIS degree) and to expect articles they can apply to improve the services they provide to their users. Readers have a shared interest in reference services, medical information, and technology. Subscribers to this journal seem to value well-researched and well-written articles that will help them in their work.

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers, given the specific nature and focus of this journal, will probably have a general knowledge of LIS subject matter with extensive, in-depth knowledge of medical reference services and research.

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

Readers and authors will likely be professionals and researchers already in the field of medical reference services. Furthermore, faculty and librarians involved with developing programs on information literacy, embedded librarianship, and library instruction directed to medical and clinical students, for example, will find practical, in-depth articles to read and a high-profile journal in which to publish.

Last updated: February 7, 2018

References

Show 14 footnotes

Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (ISTL)

By Lisa Lowdermilk on April 15, 2013 in

Publication analysis

About the publication

Title: Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (ISTL)

ISSN: 1092-1206¹

Website: http://www.istl.org/

Purpose, objective, or mission: Per the publication website, “ISTL publishes substantive content of interest to science and technology librarians. It serves as a vehicle for sci-tech librarians to share successful initiatives and innovative ideas, and to publish peer-reviewed or board-accepted papers, including case studies, practical applications, theoretical essays, web/bibliographies, and research papers relevant to the functions and operations of science and technology libraries in all settings. Through its columns ISTL also publishes reviews, opinions, and best practices.”²

Target audience: Librarians with an interest in science and technology in librarianship.³

Publisher: Association of College and Research Libraries, Science and Technology Section⁴

Peer reviewed? Yes⁵

Type: LIS scholarly⁶

Medium: Online, open access⁷

Content: The journal publishes refereed articles, opinion pieces, and reviews for electronic resources, books, and databases.⁸ Every issue has a theme. Examples of past themes include “Reference and More,” “Outreach and Marketing,” and “Facilities.”⁹

Frequency of publication: Quarterly¹⁰

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: http://istl.org/authors.html

Types of contributions accepted: Case studies, practical applications, theoretical essays, web bibliographies, and research papers relevant to the functions and operations of science and technology libraries in all settings. Columns provide reviews, opinions, and best practices.¹¹

Submission and Review Process: Per the submission guidelines, “We welcome your article submissions and the editorial board is happy to work with new authors. If you have any questions about whether an article is appropriate for ISTL or how best to prepare your manuscript, feel free to contact one of the members of the editorial board.”¹² Each section of this publication, specifically articles, book reviews, journal reviews, database reviews, and “webliographies,” has its own submission and format guide. For example, from the guide for non-refereed articles, “In general, articles of about 2,000 words seem to work well; however, if you need more space to describe your ideas, feel free to write a longer article.”¹³

Editorial tone: Academic¹⁴

Style guide used: CSE (Council of Science Editors) Style Guide¹⁵

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

This publication is specialized and focused on a specific aspect of librarianship. While readers of the journal may be broad based, the authors published in the journal are active within each sub-field. Those new to the study or profession of science and technology librarianship will find this to be an ideal place to publish, as the journal and its editors are willing to work with first-time authors.

Audience analysis

About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: No exact numbers are available, but the journal is open access.¹⁶

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: As ISTL is published in English¹⁷ in the United States but is available online, an international but primarily North American readership may be assumed.¹⁸

Reader characteristics: Readers of ISTL are academics and professionals in the science and technology world as it relates to librarianship. It is expected that the majority of readers share similar types of workplaces, jobs, levels of education, and professional interests. ISTL readers are like to be focused on a particular academic field within science or technology librarianship. As such, their interest in topics that fall outside of that field may be somewhat limited.¹⁹

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: ISTL readers will know a great deal about LIS topics and issues. They are interested in keeping current on the latest developments in their field of science or technology and will be highly familiar with LIS jargon.²⁰

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

The audience for Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship is interested in substantive discourse related to successful programs and materials for the delivery of information services. Potential authors need to be familiar with such topics in order to not only get published in this journal, but to also speak to the readers. The technical knowledge is at a very high level, but must also have an academic angle. The editors are willing to work with first time authors so it is likely that considerable guidance will be provided to ensure a successful article.

Last updated: May 13, 2017

References

Show 20 footnotes

Government Information Quarterly

By Lisa Lowdermilk on February 23, 2013 in

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 “Names 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

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