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Journal Publishing and Marketing in an Age of Digital Media, Open Access and Impact Factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2017

Alex Marland
Alex Marland*
Affiliation:
Memorial University of Newfoundland
*
Department of Political Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 230 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, email: amarland@mun.ca
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Abstract

Worldwide, the publishing industry has been compelled to change with digital media technology, and some traditional academic journals are struggling to adapt. This article examines the marketing and publicity actions available to the Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique and similar flagship journals in an environment characterized by open access (OA) and impact factor (IF) metrics. It reviews the opportunities and threats presented by a movement towards publishing in ungated forums and pressure in the academic community to prioritize bibliometrics. It then looks at the experience, characteristics and comparative position of the Journal/Revue before reporting on perceptions and recommendations drawn from depth interviews with journal editors, presidents of the Canadian Political Science Association, and a university librarian, which are supplemented by suggestions from editorial board members. It concludes with proposals to address these circumstances head on, many of which are generalizable to other journals wrestling with marketing and publishing in the digital age.

Résumé

Dans le monde entier, l'industrie de l’édition s'est vu contrainte d’évoluer avec la technologie numérique et certaines revues spécialisées peinent à s'adapter. Cet article examine les actions de mise en marché et de publicité dont la Revue canadienne de science politique/Canadian Journal of Political Science et des publications phares similaires disposent dans un environnement caractérisé par les mesures du libre accès (LA) et du facteur d'impact (FI). Il analyse les opportunités et risques que présente le passage à la publication dans des plates-formes non balisées et la pression exercée sur le milieu universitaire pour accorder la priorité aux données bibliométriques. Il passe ensuite en revue l’expérience, les caractéristiques et la posture comparative de la Revue/Journal. De plus, il présente les différentes observations et recommandations issues d’entretiens approfondis avec des éditeurs, des présidents de l’Association canadienne de science politique et d’un bibliothécaire universitaire. Des suggestions émanant des membres du comité de rédaction complètent le portrait. En conclusion, il formule des propositions pour attaquer de front ces circonstances, dont beaucoup peuvent être généralisées à d'autres revues qui se débattent avec les enjeux de la mise en marché et de la publicité à l’ère numérique.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 50 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 77 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2017 

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