The challenges facing library and information science journals: Editors’ opinions

Abstract

This study aimed to gather the opinions of editors of Library and Information Science journals indexed in Scopus and the Web of Knowledge regarding the current situation and their forecasts on open access, peer review procedures, functionalities, and specialization. The response rate was 23%, and some noteworthy conclusions can be drawn according to editors’ opinions: Within 5-10 years, the main business model for journal publishing will be open access. Institutional support is the preferred source of financing. The review process requires less than 2 months, and the main problems are low quality of texts and finding reviewers. Functionalities such as mobile versions of the journals, social media, data policy, and altmetrics have yet to be exploited; interdisciplinarity will increase the presence of these functionalities in journals, especially through the influence of the related areas of Communication, Management, and Computer Science. Finally, the area that will see the most changes is the management of research data.