Getting clean publishing title lists

We understand that having accurate and well-organised journal information is crucial to reduce the library's workflow burden and increase the effectiveness of their search. 

The following information was prepared by the SciFree team and a few librarians as a newsletter to help publishers.  

Quick link: Excel template to share

Why Structured Lists Are Necessary

Structured lists are essential because they enable researchers to take full advantage of their university’s publishing agreements. By providing up-to-date and accurate information, libraries can better assist researchers in publishing their work as open access. Publishers can support this effort significantly by offering well-organised and current lists.

What Information Do Libraries Need?

To help researchers efficiently, libraries require the following information for each journal:

• Journal Title- Please include acronyms where applicable and avoid using all CAPS
• Imprint
• Print ISSN - Use the industry format "1234-5678"
• Electronic ISSN - Use the industry format "1234-5678"
• Journal URL
• Publishing Model-  Use standards of "Hybrid", "Open Access", "Diamond"
• License Options - List all options, separated by commas
• Subject Areas

Recommendations and Practical Help 

We recommend using this Excel template to provide the required information. It’s easy to fill in and distribute to your subscribed libraries. Including the date when the information was last updated is very beneficial. This template was developed with input from libraries that use these lists to provide consistent information to their teams and researchers.

Keep Libraries Informed of Changes

Publishing agreements often change, with new journals being added or removed, or changes in the publishing model. Keeping libraries up-to-date with these changes is essential. Providing a list of journal changes and their details helps libraries keep their researchers informed. 

Examples of changes that should be notified include:

• Journal Name Change
• ISSN Change
• Ceased Publication/Not accepting submissions 
• Publishing Model Changes
• Publisher/Imprint Transfers
• Mergers 

You can easily add this information in a separate column using the same Excel template.

Internal Management Benefits for Publishers

Having a unified structure for journal information can also streamline communication within your publishing teams, benefiting everyone involved from backlist to marketing and sales teams.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Daniel Albertsson and John Murtagh for editing the original newsletter

We're Here to Help

SciFree is always available to assist with cleaning and organising of lists. If you need help, please do not hesitate to email us at info@scifree.se