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The establishment and success of scholarly journals as we know them was largely the product

of the 19th century, when science publishing grew as a result of increased global participation in

scholarly and scientifc research, as did the proliferation of discipline-specifc journal publications.

Prior to 1665, scientists communicated largely by passing publications did not increase accordingly. Te cumulative
letters between each other. By 1665, there were too many efect led to what has become known as “the serials crisis”
scientists for this method of communication to remain of the late 1990s to early 2000s—the period of runaway
practical. Leveraging the growth of the printing industry, journal cost increases and associated challenges for many
the frst-ever journals were introduced to serve essentially libraries in maintaining subscriptions (Smart, 2014).
the same function as that of the current day journal—to Te search for an alternative business model ensued
provide a venue for scientists and other interested readers in response to the serials crisis and gave rise to the
to communicate the latest scientifc discoveries, as well movement for more unrestricted “open access” to peer-
as to establish the rights over any intellectual advances reviewed scientifc research and greater involvement
of individual scientists (Royal Society website, 2015, of the academic community in the publishing process
Publishing 350). (Smart, 2014). Active debate over the economics and
Te establishment and success of scholarly journals as we reliability of various ways of providing open access
know them was largely the product of the 19th century, continues to the present day (Eisen, 2013; Almeida, 2013;
when science publishing grew as a result of increased Smart, 2014; Ware, 2006).
global participation in scholarly and scientifc research,
as did the proliferation of discipline-specifc journal Present-Day Features of Scholarly Journals
publications. With increased competition for the best Since their inception, scholarly journals have consistently
scientifc papers, more rigorous and systematic peer- been a primary form of formal scholarly communication.
review processes were introduced to address issues of According to the Association of Research Libraries
author recognition and to ensure quality control (Royal (ARL), scholarly communication is defned as “the system
Society website, 2015, Publishing 350). During this same through which research and other scholarly writings
period, new enabling technologies of the industrial are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the
revolution–steam-powered rotary printing presses scholarly community, and preserved for future use” (ARL
and efcient rail-based mail service—empowered the website, 2015). Of the 30,000 active scholarly journals
distribution of journal publications (Eisen, 2013). As available in 2014, the vast majority (95%) published
a consequence of the escalating costs for printing and only articles stemming from original research, with the
shipping articles around the world, two key features of balance (5%) consisting of hybrids—academic journals
modern journals were made common practice: (1) journal that meld journalistic and research content (Ware and
publishers restricted what was printed to only those Mabe, 2015, p. 27).
works deemed to be of the greatest interest to their target Troughout the literature, the term “scholarly journals”
audience; and (2) publishers adopted a subscriptions- has been used synonymously, and ofen interchangeably,
based business model, whereby journal copies were sent with “academic journals”, “scientifc journals”, “peer-
only to those who paid for a subscription (Almeida, 2013). reviewed journals”, and “refereed journals”—an
Troughout the 1960s and 1970s, commercial publishers apparent refection of their defning elements. By most
began to selectively acquire journals that were previously authoritarian accounts (UK House of Commons, 2004;
published by nonproft academic societies (Smart, 2014). Ware and Mabe, 2015), the core defning elements of
During this period, substantial increases in journal scholarly journals include:
subscription charges were introduced due, at least in part, • It is a formal written form of scholarly communication;
to the compounding costs associated with processing
more content, implementing new technologies made • It is published on a periodic basis by an institution,
possible with the advent of the World Wide Web, as well corporation, or a professional or scholarly society;
as commercial opportunism (Smart, 2014). However, the • Its content is written by experts for experts in a specifc
budgets available to libraries for the purchase of journal academic discipline or feld;

20 LEADERSHIP Vol. 21.2 Fall 2015

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