How to Start an Academic Journal

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Academic Journals
  • Brief History and Evolution of Academic Journals
• Why Start an Academic Journal?
• Laying the Groundwork
• Understanding the Logistics
• Building Your Journal’s Reputation
• Ensuring Sustainable Success
• How to Start an Academic Journal that Sustains: A Conclusion

Introduction to Academic Journals

This write-up explores how to start an academic journal, a scholarly periodical that publishes original research articles and reviews written by scholars in a specific discipline or field of study. If you are a researcher or work with an academic publisher, this article will beneficial for you.

Journal publishing plays a pivotal role in academia by disseminating new knowledge, theories, and findings to the wider scholarly community.

Academic journals generally have an editorial board of respected academics that reviews submissions through a rigorous peer-review process before deciding whether to publish them. This process helps ensure that only high-quality, original research gets published.

The history of academic journals dates back to the 17th century, with the creation of the first publications like Journal des sçavans in France and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in Britain. Over the centuries, the number and influence of journals grew as they became the primary medium for sharing research.

Today, there are tens of thousands of academic journals spanning every academic field and subfield.

Academic journals serve several key functions in the world of academic publishing, research and higher education:

• They validate and preserve important scientific discoveries, theories, and knowledge for future generations.
• They allow researchers to keep up with the latest developments in their field by reading new peer-reviewed studies.
• They incentivize scholars to publish their work, knowing it will be widely read and cited.
• They facilitate critical discussion and debate around new findings and ideas.
• They establish scientists’ priority over discoveries by documenting when something was first published.

The advent of digital publishing and open access journals has significantly increased the reach and impact of academic journals in recent decades. However, the core aim remains unchanged – to advance human knowledge through scholarly communication.

Brief History and Evolution of Academic Journals

The first academic journals emerged during the scientific revolution of the 17th century as a means for scientists to share discoveries and ideas with colleagues. Some key developments in the history of academic journals include:

• 1665 – Creation of Journal des sçavans in France, covering academic developments.
• 1665 – Launch of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in Britain, often considered the first scientific journal.
• 1731 – Medical Essays and Observations published, seen as the first peer reviewed journal.
• 1887 – First issue of Nature, which helped professionalize science journalism.
• The 1990s – The rise of online publishing starts the shift from print to digital journals.
• The early 2000s – Open access journals gain traction as a democratizing force.

Over three centuries, journals evolved from simple scientific papers repositories into influential arbiters shaping the research direction. Today, publication in prestigious journals can make or break academic careers. However, their core role as a medium for knowledge exchange remains unchanged despite their evolution.

Academic journals enormously influence funding, hiring, and promotion decisions in higher education and research. Most experts agree that they will remain essential to scholarly communication for the foreseeable future.

Why Start an Academic Journal?

Academia is constantly evolving as new research emerges and fresh perspectives develop. Starting an academic journal provides an opportunity to shape the growth of a field by giving voice to new ideas.

Journals founded by specialists in a discipline can highlight overlooked topics, challenge existing assumptions, and push boundaries. This impacts academia by diversifying thought and sparking meaningful discourse.

Launching a journal also enables a concentrated investigation of niche subjects. For example, a journal specializing in a subfield, theoretical approach, or interdisciplinary theme can provide a dedicated platform to consolidate knowledge. This focused study strengthens the field overall. Furthermore, concentrating scholarship attracts collaborators, fuels innovation, and nurtures the community.

Running an academic journal is rewarding but challenging. Rewards include interacting with leading thinkers, facilitating knowledge sharing, and enabling discovery. Challenges include sourcing contributions, managing operations, and building prestige.

Success requires a clear vision, ethical standards, and perseverance. Yet the ability to guide a field and provide opportunities for growth makes these efforts worthwhile.

In short, academic journals empower new voices, spur targeted research, and unite specialists. Despite requiring hard work, the prospect of shaping disciplines and expanding ideas makes founding a journal exciting.

Laying the Groundwork

Launching a new academic journal requires careful planning and preparation. The first major step is identifying your niche – what specific topics, fields, or disciplines will your journal focus on? Selecting a clear scope and area of specialty allows you to cater to a target audience.

The key to starting a new academic journal is identifying a niche scope and focus that can serve the market. To do so, browse top journal databases to see if other journals have already covered your scope. A new journal offering similar scope to existing scholarly journals will be difficult to take off.

For instance, starting a journal focusing on physical science is not a good idea as hundreds of journals are already publishing on this scope. However, a scope of physical science focusing on developing countries may create a new niche that can serve a highly targeted market.

Consider your expertise and gaps in existing literature that your journal could potentially fill. Consulting with colleagues can help validate if there is demand within the academic community for a journal specializing in your proposed subject matter.

Next, you need to assemble a strong editorial board. These respected scholars, researchers, and professionals lend credibility to your journal. When inviting potential board members, look for established names in your niche who are active contributors with experience in academic publishing.

The reality is that, if you are starting, the editorial board members are usually the people you have worked with since they already know you. As the journal grows, it will be a good time to reach more experts to strengthen the editorial board.

A diverse, international editorial board signals quality and increases your journal’s chances of getting recognized. Many journal databases will evaluate the diversity of the editorial board members in deciding whether to index a journal.

Also, you need to find out if your institution or university has certain guidelines on how to start a new academic journal. They might have some regulations, recommendations and may even offer to fund the proposed journal if the idea seems good.

Finally, decide how frequently your journal will publish new issues. Traditionally, many publish biannually, though now you will need to think of publishing more frequently. Perhaps, start with three issues per year, but you must consider the acquisition work needed to attract sufficient submission.

This publishing schedule allows adequate time for proper peer review while regularly providing new content. Initially, you may opt for less frequent issues as you build up submissions. Communicate the schedule on your journal’s website so potential authors know when to expect upcoming publication cycles.

Understanding the Logistics

The peer review process is crucial to operating a successful academic journal. After an author submits a paper, it undergoes rigorous evaluation by experts in the field, who provide feedback and determine if the research merits publication.

A standard peer review process involves finding qualified reviewers, allowing several weeks for a thorough review, assessing the reviewers’ comments, making an editorial decision, requesting revisions from the author if necessary, finalizing the content, and scheduling the paper for an upcoming issue.

Proper peer review lends credibility, ensures high-quality standards, and provides authors with constructive ways to improve their work. However, managing peer review requires extensive planning and editor coordination.

You must recruit a reliable team of reviewers, provide clear instructions and deadlines, facilitate communication between authors and reviewers, and uphold rigorous ethical standards throughout the process.

Funding is another critical consideration when starting an academic journal. An academic publisher must find ways to make money and generate capital to sustain an operation.

Publishing and distributing a journal has ongoing costs, including website hosting, printing, mailing, managing submission systems, marketing, and compensation for editors and reviewers. Possible funding sources include:

• Charging authors publication or submission fees
• Selling subscriptions to institutions and individuals
• Securing sponsorships and advertising from relevant organizations
• Applying for grants from government agencies or nonprofits
• Seeking support from host academic institutions

A diversified income stream makes your journal less vulnerable if one source dries up. You may need to get creative with funding models, like offering print and electronic bundles, tiered author fees, or sponsored special issues.

When launching a journal, you must also understand key legal considerations. For example:

• Obtaining ISSN and DOI numbers for proper identification
• Registering copyright on published content
• Requiring author and publisher agreements to clarify rights
• Ensuring authors have permission to reuse any copyrighted material
• Having policies to prevent plagiarism or duplicate publication

Additionally, you must uphold ethical standards, such as disclosing conflicts of interest, protecting author anonymity during peer review, and handling sensitive topics appropriately. Keeping accurate records and being transparent builds trust in the integrity of your publication.

Building Your Journal’s Reputation

Publishing high-quality research is critical for establishing the reputation of a new academic journal. Rigorous peer review processes should be implemented to ensure only innovative, significant work gets published. Seek submissions from respected researchers and aim to set high standards in your field or discipline.

Promoting your journal through academic conferences, university visits, and social media can spread awareness. Building relationships with influential scholars, professional associations, and academic libraries can also increase readership. Offer article alerts and utilize search engine optimization to make your content more discoverable.

To gain recognition, apply to be indexed in major academic databases like Web of Science and Scopus. These listings increase citations and visibility. You can also partner with archives like JSTOR to digitize and preserve past issues. After establishing a strong citation record, submit your journal for an impact factor evaluation.

Gaining prestige takes time, but focusing on quality and outreach from the start will put your journal on the path to success within the academic community.

Ensuring Sustainable Success

Maintaining consistent quality is critical for the long-term success of any academic journal. This means implementing rigorous peer-review processes, recruiting qualified reviewers, and upholding high editorial standards.

Blind peer review, where the reviewers do not know the author’s identity, can help minimize bias. Editors should provide reviewers with clear guidelines and check submitted reviews for quality. High rejection rates signal a selective journal. Regular training for editors and reviewers is key to ensuring fair, constructive feedback.

Adapting to change in the fast-moving world of academia is also vital. Journals must stay abreast of emerging topics, methods, and technologies. Special issues on cutting-edge themes can demonstrate relevance. Seeking submissions from up-and-coming scholars keeps new perspectives flowing in.

Transitioning to open access publishing may increase readership and citations. Social media promotion and mobile-friendly formats provide wider exposure. But balancing innovation with consistency in quality and focus sustains a journal’s core identity.

Ensuring financial stability can be achieved through diversified revenue streams. Subscriptions from institutions and individuals remain a prime source of income. But additional options include article processing charges, advertising, sponsorships, and licensing content.

Conservative budgeting, negotiating costs with publishers, and utilizing digital workflows can control expenses. Seeking support from academic societies or funding bodies provides a buffer. Building a global readership and selling value-added services create multiple income avenues. But the key is focusing first on publishing outstanding research.

How to Start an Academic Journal that Sustains: A Conclusion

Launching an academic journal is no small feat, but the strategies outlined in this blog post aim to demystify the process. With careful planning, hard work, and persistence, your journal can contribute meaningfully to scholarly discourse in your field. You do not want to start a journal; you want to sustain it.

First, identify an underserved niche and assemble a qualified editorial board to establish credibility. Determine your publishing schedule and secure funding to get your journal off the ground. Understand the peer review process and meet legal and ethical obligations. Promote your journal through networking and ensure it publishes high-quality research. Implement rigorous review standards and diversify revenue streams for sustainability.

The rewards of running an academic journal are immense. You can shape discussions in your discipline, provide opportunities for new voices, and influence future research. But be prepared for challenges like competing for authors and readers. Success requires consistently publishing stellar work and adapting to evolving academic landscapes.

If you are passionate about a scholarly topic and are ready to embark on this journey, take the first step. Research journal options in your field and gauge viability. Refine your focus area and goals. Begin building your editorial board. Every great journal started with a vision. Yours could spark breakthroughs and propel careers. The potential impact makes the effort worthwhile.

This concludes our guide on starting an academic journal. We covered key steps like identifying your niche, assembling an editorial board, handling logistics, building reputation, and ensuring sustainability. Launching a journal is challenging but immensely rewarding.