PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY最新文献

Purpose

The primary objective of this study is to provide an understanding of authors’ satisfaction with the publishing processes of journals, specifically focusing on the Uongozi Journal of Management Development Dynamics, published and owned by Mzumbe University.

Design/Methodology/Approach

This study employed a single case-study design that focuses on a specific geographical area to simplify data collection. A mixed-methods approach was used, gathering quantitative data through survey questionnaires and qualitative data through interviews to assess authors’ satisfaction levels with the journal’s publishing processes. The population included a total of 54 authors published in the Uongozi Journal over five years (2017–2021), with a sample of 30 authors selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Quantitative data were analyzed with Microsoft Excel, while qualitative data underwent content analysis and was presented in quotation form.

Findings

The findings indicate high levels of author satisfaction, particularly in areas such as manuscript handling, feedback quality and timely publication. Efficient and timely processes were appreciated by respondents as essential, which fostered collaboration between authors and journal editorial board and reviewers. Additionally, the journal’s robust communication channels and feedback mechanisms created a supportive environment and improved authors’ satisfaction.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The study concludes that authors’ satisfaction with the publishing process is influenced by two factors: first, timeliness, professionalism and the quality of published work; and second, a transparent and well-organized process, along with prompt and constructive feedback. It is recommended that the Uongozi Journal of Management Development Dynamics should assess its reputation, and be indexed in more reputable platforms such as the Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), SCOPUS and the like to improve its quality. It should also prioritize efficient peer review, provide clear communication and seek qualified editorial board members for it to continue to remain relevant.

The objective of this study was to analyze the degree of changes in indexed journals within a database using SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) as a proxy for Scopus. We downloaded SJR-listed journal data to examine journal evolution over the past decade (2013–2022) and analyzed them in terms of the following metrics: the number of journals, growth rates, normalized growth and the Jaccard index. The findings revealed a significant increase in Scopus-indexed journals during this period, with journals growing from 23,957 in 2013 to 27,033 (12.8 percent) but declining after peaking at 28,099 in 2019. Open access (OA) journals exhibited remarkable growth and higher turnover (48.3 percent) than non-OA journals (2.3 percent). For a thorough assessment of journal growth and overlap, we propose using a quadrant analysis. Using this approach, we found an inverse relationship between the normalized growth rate and the Jaccard index across different subject areas and countries. The methods described in this study can be used to analyze changes in indexed journals in other databases and thus contribute to a better understanding of its indexed journals.

We live in an extraordinary time in human history. Arguably, the most significant social changes have taken place in recent decades, including changes in policy and attitudes towards human rights, how we educate and treat children, towards sexual violence and abuse, sexuality and gender identification, to name just a few. In Australia, we have witnessed public responses through Royal Commissions and other public inquiries that have given voice to generations of people whose suffering had been silenced by formal and informal social mechanisms. Now, in the twenty-first century, the proliferation of new technologies, social media and social campaigns designed to engage people online as well as offline have empowered citizens to take control of their narratives, to tell their own stories. In the published literature, a great many have begun to reveal the nature and extent of traumas experienced by individuals, families, groups and entire communities. In the publishing industry, scant attention is given to the occupational risks faced by the workforce charged with disseminating these trauma stories: the editors, literary agents, proofreaders, publicists and other publishing personnel who are repeatedly exposed to trauma narratives. Even as publishing facilitates healing through story, it is also perpetuating—or at the very least enabling—the transmission of trauma: from author to publishing personnel, and quite possibly also from industry to reader. This paper posits that publishing as an industry is awash with trauma. Through the perspective of an industry insider, it explores the three faces of trauma in the publishing context: recounting trauma as a vehicle for healing and reconciliation, the trauma narrative as a commodity and vicarious trauma as an occupational hazard.

The main objective of this research is to quantify for the first time the phenomenon of books authored by ChatGPT for sale through Amazon. To do this and with the help of a quantitative descriptive methodology, this work analyzes the evolution of books written by ChatGPT, and the characteristics of these works—typology, language, price, extension and type of edition—are determined. Also, this research studies those authors using ChatGPT and discusses the scope of this phenomenon, proposing measures and actions that promote transparency and good practices in the publishing industry regarding books written by artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Finally, this work concludes that ChatGPT is having a significant impact on the publishing world, from both the creation and distribution of content, so the appropriate balance between the use of AI and human intervention will continue to be essential to maintain a diverse and creative publishing industry.

The use of sensitivity readers has become increasingly prevalent in the publishing industry over the past decade (Brouillette 2023; Jilani 2023; Kingsbury 2024; Sharma 2023; Thomalla 2023; West-Knights 2023). To some, sensitivity readers are controversial figures who seek to censor writers’ voices, while for others they are much-needed defences against the perpetuation of discrimination in literature (Lawrence 2020). Given the relatively novel application of sensitivity reading in publishing processes, there remains a scarcity of research into, and understanding of, the practical implications of this editorial process. The following transcript of a discussion between University of Exeter Master of Arts (Publishing) student, D-M Withers, and sensitivity reader and published author Georgina Kamsika reflects on the specificities of this industry role, providing insight into our understanding of sensitivity reading as a unique editorial layer within the publishing chain.

Publishing articles in scholarly peer-reviewed journals is considered as one of the best publishing ways that helps researchers to build their academic reputation. Citing the references used throughout a research work is a crucial element when publishing scientific research. However, many authors have experienced a coercive behavior of reviewers who are trying to force them to include additional references to the revised version of their manuscript. This unethical practice, which is called coercive citation, has not received considerable attention by journals and publishers to address the issue. This piece discusses the appropriate measures that should be taken to deal with this unethical behavior more effectively.

The academic landscape has witnessed significant transformations in recent years, primarily attributed to advancements in IT tools, which have advantages and drawbacks in the world of publications. The transition from traditional university library searches to the digital era, with access to various information sources such as Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar, has revolutionized research practices. Thanks to technology, researchers, academics and students now enjoy rapid and vast information access, facilitating quicker manuscript preparation and boosting bibliometric parameters. To identify authors “self-distorted” bibliometric parameters, different indices following the Hirsch index (h-index) (based on citations) have been proposed. The new “fi-score” evaluates the reliability of citation counts for individual authors and validates the accuracy of their h-index, comparing the number of citations to the h-index value to highlight value that is not within the norm and probably influenced or distorted by authors themselves. It examines how authors’ citations impact their h-index, although they are not self-citing. The study calculated the fi-score on a sample of 194,983 researchers. It shows that the average value of the fi-score is 25.03 and that a maximum value admissible as good must not exceed 32. The fi-score complements existing indexes, shedding light on the actual scientific impact of researchers. In conclusion, bibliometric parameters have evolved significantly, offering valuable insights into researchers’ contributions. The fi-score emerges as a promising new metric, providing a more comprehensive and unbiased evaluation of scholarly impact. By accounting for the influence of citations and self-citations, the fi-score addresses the limitations of traditional indices, empowering academic communities to recognize better and acknowledge individual contributions.

h-indexes, Journal Impact Factors and CiteScores are often presented as a single numeric value, without providing any context. Under such circumstances, the reader is unable to fully appreciate, or comprehend, the information being presented. By not being transparent, it also presents the opportunity for unscrupulous operators, such as predatory journals, to provide non-sensical information in the hope that the potential author will misinterpret it and submit an article in the expectation that they are submitting to a high-quality journal. Dubious metrics are also able to enter the sector, again in the hope that their metric will be read under an incorrect assumption. Following an overview of the main metrics that are commonly used, this paper suggests how these metrics should be cited. Adopting these proposals would not only provide the reader will full information but also enable bogus measures, which have proliferated in recent years, to be recognized more easily.

This paper presents the rapid and dynamic transition of the Bulgarian book from the Late Middle Ages to Modernity between 1806 and 1878. Special attention is paid to the work of Hristo G. Danov—one of the founders of modern Bulgarian book publishing, book printing and book trade. His business spread within the vast geographical area of Central and Eastern Europe, between the Austrian and Ottoman Empires’ capitals. The research focuses on topics such as transnational book communication, book travel from place to place and multilingual printing book context. It presents how the printed book as a new means of text dissemination was used during the Bulgarian Revival—the difficult process that had to balance with many geopolitical, religious and social factors, as well as characteristics of daily life in the Ottoman Empire. Besides the Bulgarian national context, this paper refers to the organization of book publishing in geographical and economic aspects, the pursuit of an intellectual project through an active search for authors, texts and ideas, and the relation between book publishing and politics.

Abstract

Undoubtedly, the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg brought about a profound paradigm shift, transforming both the late medieval book markets and the general reading culture. However, as with many paradigm shifts, we need to differentiate in this regard more than scholarship has acknowledged so far. First, many medieval narrative motives, topics and themes continued to be rather popular well into the seventeenth century, if not beyond. Second, manuscript culture did not simply disappear. Instead, as this article outlines, in many areas and especially among the upper social classes, luxury items in the form of manuscripts remained critically important. A closer analysis also indicates that many times practical knowledge (fencing, horse training, medicine, etc.) and personal observations were copied down by hand and thus passed on to the specific audiences without the printing press involved. The manuscript did not disappear at all; instead, it assumed a more specialized function in terms of knowledge, autobiographical reflections and social representation.