Why are new journals created? An international analysis of information and documentation titles (2013-2018)

Abstract

The creation or title changes of scientific journals in the information and documentation (ID) area in the period 2013-2018 are analyzed. Based on the total of 62 such journals identified through ISSN Portal and Ulrichsweb, the following are described: characteristic aspects such as country, language, type of publisher, and access model; presence in bibliographic databases, citations, or journal directories; survival and volume of articles published; annual number of citations to articles according to Google Scholar; thematic scope declared by the editors; and finally, the justification given by the editors for the change of title or the creation of a new journal. Among the main conclusions regarding newly created titles, the leading role of academic publishers in expanding national university systems and open-access titles stands out. In general, new publications generate few articles per year, have little presence in databases, and receive few citations. Title changes were found only in journals published by commercial publishers. In both cases, journals with a general thematic scope predominate and a significant number of journals did not justify their creation or change of title.