Publishing in LIS

Some Useful Resources

Recommended sources for determining whether a journal is peer-reviewed are marked below with a

NOTE: There is no current, comprehensive printed guide to journals in LIS. The following sources can help identify potential outlets for your work. Once you’ve selected likely titles, confirm the scope and submission guidelines by examining a recent issue or visiting the publisher’s web site.

Bowman, Mary Ann. Library and Information Science Journals and Serials: An Analytical Guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985. LIS Reference 016.0205 B684l An alphabetical guide to more than 300 English-language titles. Reports information gathered by questionnaire; many details are out-of-date. Typical entries include circulation figures, how manuscripts are selected ("by editor," "refereed," etc.), index coverage, and target audience, along with paragraph-length descriptive annotations.

Genamics JournalSeek A database of journal information categorized by discipline, with links to publishers’ web sites. Look for LIS under “Computer and Information Science.”

InPrint: Publishing Opportunities for College Librarians. Edited by Lynn W. Livingston; compiled by Alice Harrison Bahr and Michael J. McLane. Chicago: Research for College Librarianship Committee, College Libraries Section, ACRL, ALA, 1997. LIS Reference 020.97805 B148I Updated 2000 web version at http://www.library.uiuc.edu/lsx/inprintacrl.html A directory of journals that welcome articles by and about college librarians, including journals in higher education as well as library science. Entries indicate acceptance rate, response time, preferred topics, whether the journal is refereed, and more.

Journal Citation Reports. http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ersearch/get.asp?rid=3378 This licensed ISI database gives a general sense of the comparative importance of journals. Select "Social Science Edition" and the subject category "Information Science and Library Science." Note that JCR covers only 55 journals in LIS.

Library Literature & Information Science Full Text. http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ersearch/get.asp?rid=3403 Library Lit is an online index and full text source for periodicals in library science. When searching for articles, you can limit your search to peer-reviewed titles. To create a list of all the peer-reviewed titles included in Library Lit, click on the "Info Center" link on the left-hand menu. On the next page that is displayed, click on the "Journal Directory" tab. On the following page, click on "Go to Journal Directory." On the next page, specify the database and check the box for "Limit to Peer Review." An up-to-date list of peer-reviewed journals covered by Library Lit will be generated and displayed.

Library Periodicals: An Annual [sic] Guide for Subscribers, Authors, and Publicists. Edited by Molly Skeen. Alameda, CA: Periodical Guides Publishing Company, 1993. LIS Reserves 016.02 L6164 1993 An alphabetical directory of 150 library-related journals and newsletters published in the U.S. or Canada. Indexed by subject and publisher. Entries include information on subject scope, index coverage, and refereeing. Refereed journals are also listed in an appendix.

"Periodicals for LIS Research." http://www.library.uiuc.edu/lsx/Serial.html An alphabetical list of journals in LIS and related fields in the LIS Library, Main Stacks, and a few other locations. Includes hotlinks to electronic journals. Refereed titles are indicated by a gold star. Continually updated.

Schroeder, Carol F., and Gloria G. Roberson, eds. Guide to Publishing Opportunities for Librarians. New York: Haworth Press, 1995. LIS Reserves 020.97305 Sch76g An alphabetical listing of library-related periodicals, with appended listings of electronic titles and refereed titles. Entries cover scope and content, index coverage, and editorial policies and practices (such as publication lag time, desired article length, peer review, and acceptance rate).

Stevens, Norman D., and Nora B. Stevens,eds. Author’s Guide to Journals in Library & Information Science. New York: Haworth Press, 1982. LIS Reference 020.5 St47a Aimed at prospective authors, this guide covers North American, British, and international journals. Much of the detailed information, gathered through a survey, is out-of-date. Data includes submission guidelines (e.g. citation style, length), acceptance rates, and notification time. Appropriate and inappropriate topics are noted.

Ulrichsweb.com http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ersearch/get.asp?rid=3475 The licensed electronic version of Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory provides the most up-to-date information on print and electronic journals worldwide. Refereed titles are indicated with an icon. To retrieve a list of LIS periodicals (over 3,400 titles) do a Quick Search for the subject "library." To limit to refereed titles, use the Advanced Search page.

Research and advice on the LIS publishing process

Alley, Brian, and Jennifer Cargill. Librarian in Search of a Publisher: How to Get Published. Phoenix: Oryx, 1986. LIS 808.02 Al54l Hints for the aspiring author on getting started, writing for varied types of publications (articles, bibliographies, reviews, books, and speeches), and serving as an editor. Written in a conversational style.

Bluh, Pamela, ed. "Special Section: So You Want to be a Writer?" Library Administration & Management 11, no. 1 (Winter 1997): 11-25. LIS Periodicals Includes three articles: "Becoming a Published Author: Eight Simple Steps for Librarians" by Mary E. Jackson; "Steps Toward Writing a Sure Thing" by Gloriana St. Clair; and "From Book Idea to Contract" by Patricia Glass Schuman and Charles Harmon.

Bluh, Pamela, ed. "Special Section: Write On!" Library Administration & Management 12, no. 3 (Summer 1998): 132-141. LIS Periodicals Two short how-to pieces: "Preparing Research for Publication" by Joan Giesecke; and "Transforming an Oral Presentation for Publication" by Jerry Di Vecchio.

Crawford, Walt. First Have Something to Say: Writing for the Library Profession. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003. LIS 808.06602 C859f Contents: Why write? -- Getting started : room for one more -- Journals : tell me something new -- Report, inform, explain, illuminate -- Copyright, contracts, and ethics -- Working with editors -- Reviewing -- Editorial boards and editing -- Nontraditional writing: discussion lists, and weblogs -- Doing it yourself : zines & e-newsletters -- Finding your niche, building your voice -- Overwriting and the second draft -- Books -- Columns and series -- Breaks and blocks -- Believing your own stuff -- Speaking of speaking -- Hiding behind Powerpoint -- Who are you--and what's next?

Dew, Stephen H. "An editor's tips on publishing in library literature." Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning 2, no. 2 (2005): 3-12. LIS Periodicals Offers good general advice for aspiring librarian-authors, with specific hints for writing articles about library services in distance education. Reprints the referee's checklist for manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning

Gordon, Rachel Singer. The Librarian's Guide to Writing for Publication. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2004. LIS 808.06602 G658l Contents: Getting started in library publication -- Submitting your work -- Queries and proposals -- Increasing your odds -- Writing and editing your work -- Networking and collaboration -- The academic environment -- Related opportunities -- Writing a book -- Marketing and promotion : yourself and your work -- The electronic environment -- The business of publishing.

Haas, Leslie, Suzanne Milton, and Aimee Quinn. "Surviving the publishing process: a beginner's guide." RQ 36, no. 2 (Winter 1996): 230-246. LIS Periodicals Based on responses from 34 journal editors, reports typical acceptance rates, turnaround times, refereeing practices, and revision policies. Summarizes editors' advice to new authors and lists topics on which they wish and do not wish to receive articles. Appendices spotlight journal characteristics (refereed, practical, theoretical, popular, research-oriented), subject focus, and audience.

Hinchliffe, Lisa Janicke, and Jennifer Dorner, eds.How to Get Published in LIS Journals: A Practical Guide. (Library Connect Series) San Diego: Elsevier,2003. How to Get Published PDF File This booklet offers advice from experts in the field about getting started on a writing project, turning a presentation into an article, polishing your text, and choosing a journal to submit your work to –- plus a behind-the-scenes explanation of the peer review process.

Johnson, Peggy. "Dollars and Sense: Librarians and Contracts for Writing Professionally: The Sanity Clause." Technicalities 19, no. 9 (October 1999): 1, 11-13. LIS Periodicals Succinct explanations of the standard clauses in book and article contracts.

Mury, Mohammad, and Mitchel Walters. "Writing for Journals in Library and Information Science: A Report of a Survey." Serials Librarian 31, no. 4 (1997): 23-40. LIS Periodicals The authors surveyed editors and examined "instructions to authors" sections to create a database of information about 158 LIS journals. Although the web-based database is no longer accessible, its key elements are presented in a table, including each journal’s circulation figures, mandated style guide, preferred length of submissions, typical decision time, acceptance rate, and whether the journal is refereed.

Nisonger, Thomas E., and Charles H. Davis. “The perception of library and information science journals by LIS education deans and ARL library directors: A replication of the Kohl-Davis study.” College & Research Libraries 66, no. 4 (July 2005): 341-377. Reports rankings of LIS journals by the deans of LIS graduate programs and the directors of ARL member libraries, and compares them to each other and to the scores in Journal Citation Reports. The statistical tables reveal different “hierarchies of prestige.”

Publish Your Article Outside the Library Field. Chicago: American Library Association, Library Instruction Round Table, 2000. LIS Reference 808.02 P9609 The sub-title says it all: "A Bibliographic Guide to Non Library and Information Science Journals With Articles on Libraries, Librarians, or Library Services." Listings are organized by subject with a title index. Refereed titles are noted, and full contact information is provided

Sellen, Betty-Carol, ed. Librarian/Author: A Practical Guide on How to Get Published. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1985. LIS 808.02 L616 Several publishing insiders and successful authors provide frank advice on breaking into print. Findings from surveys of book publishers and journal editors are reported, including title-level information (much of it now out-of-date).

Via, Barbara J. "Publishing in the journal literature of library and information science: a survey of manuscript review processes and acceptances." College & Research Libraries 57 (July 1996): 365-376. Erratum, 57 (September 1996): 413. LIS Periodicals Reports the manuscript acceptance rates of 68 journals and notes that acceptance rates have risen in recent years. Provides a table of journals grouped by methods of manuscript review.

Some general guides

Becker, Howard S. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986. Communications, Education, LIS, Map & Geog, UGL 808.0663 B388W

Henson, Kenneth T. Writing for Professional Publication: Keys to Academic and Business Success. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. LIS 3-day reserve loan; 808.02 H398w

Huff, Anne Sigismund. Writing for Scholarly Publication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1999. Education, LIS 808.02 H872w

Kitchin, Rob and Duncan Fuller. the Academic's Guide to Publishing London: Sage, 2005. LIS 3-day reserve laon; 070.594 K648a

Luey, Beth. Handbook for Academic Authors. 3rd ed. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1995. LIS 3-day reserve loan; 808.02 L967h 1995 Primarily concerned with book publishing, this readable and encouraging guide includes a chapter on journal articles.

McCabe, Linda L., and Edward R. B. McCabe. How to Succeed in Academics. San Diego: Academic Press, 2000. LIS 3-day reserve loan; 378.12 M123h cop. 2 See especially chapter 11, "Selecting a Journal: Instructions for Authors, Recommending Reviewers, and Submitting the Manuscript." This handy book also gives tips on writing research articles, chapters, review articles, abstracts, grant proposals, and curricula vitae, and on preparing for presentations. Examples come mostly from science and medicine.

Moxley, Joseph M., and Todd Taylor. Writing and Publishing for Academic Authors. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1997. English, LIS 3-day reserve loan; 808.02 W9397 1997

Silverman, Franklin H. Publishing for Tenure and Beyond. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999. Education, LIS 808.02 Si39p

Other

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