Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
3. To validate the quality of the knowledge published. Unlike other forms of publi-
cations (e.g., newspaper articles, personal letters), articles in academic journals
are peer reviewed (although the exact review process varies by journal). This
review process is designed to ensure the quality and validity of what is pub-
lished.
4. To distribute rewards. Journal publication determines the advancement of
scholars. Tenure, promotion to full professor, and merit pay all depend on the
number and quality of the articles published by the scholar. Quality is usually
measured by the rank of the journal and by the number of times an article is
cited and where it is cited.
5. To build a community. Academic journals rely on the existence of a community
of scholars to perform voluntary functions such as reviewing papers and edito-
rial work. Without the support of the community, academic journals could not
exist in their present form. Scholars that want to publish also need to contribute
to their community by participating in these activities.
3 . 2 C r i t e r i a
To fulfill these roles, academic journals should be
[24]
sustainable,
accessible,
timely.
reputable,
of high quality,
For example, to build collective knowledge, academic publications should be acces-
sible so that scholars can find out what knowledge exists. They should be sustainable
to ensure that knowledge does not disappear and to allow scholars to add to the
research record. To support useful communications journals need to be timely. The
usefulness of the information depends on the cycle time from completing the work to
its appearing in print. In rapidly changing fields such as computers and information
systems, time lags can result in obsolescence as new ideas become available or new
developments take place. Because space in print journals and the time for reading
them are limited, readers want assurance that the journal offers high quality research
results.
3 . 3 U n i q u e C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
Peek
[44]
notes that “Academic journals are, by their nature, a unique genre in the
world of publishing.” Some of these unique features are:
The circulation of most journals is relatively small
[40,44]
. For example, three
of the leading journals in information systems are Information Systems Re-
search (ISR), Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS) and the
