Just Roll with It? Rolling Volumes vs. Discrete Issues in Open Access Library and Information Science Journals
abernard102@gmail.com 2013-08-16
Summary:
Use the link to access the full text article published in the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication. The abstract reads as follows: "INTRODUCTION Articles in open access (OA) journals can be published on a rolling basis, as they become ready, or in complete, discrete issues. This study examines the prevalence of and reasons for rolling volumes vs. discrete issues among scholarly OA library and information science (LIS) journals based in the United States. METHODS A survey was distributed to journal editors, asking them about their publication model and their reasons for and satisfaction with that model. RESULTS Of the 21 responding journals, 12 publish in discrete issues, eight publish in rolling volumes,
and one publishes in rolling volumes with an occasional special issue. Almost all editors, regardless of model, cited
ease of workflow as a justification for their chosen publication model, suggesting that there is no single best workflow
for all journals. However, while all rolling-volume editors reported being satisfied with their model, satisfaction was
less universal among discrete-issue editors. DISCUSSION The unexpectedly high number of rolling-volume journals
suggests that LIS journal editors are making forward-looking choices about publication models even though the topic
has not been much addressed in the library literature. Further research is warranted; possibilities include expanding the
study’s geographic scope, broadening the study to other disciplines, and investigating publication model trends across
the entire scholarly OA universe. CONCLUSION Both because satisfaction is high among editors of rolling-volume
journals and because readers and authors appreciate quick publication times, the rolling-volume model will likely
become even more prevalent in coming years."