At 15, Journal of Information Policy grows and adapts in changing times

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Journal of Information Policy (JIP) is celebrating 15 years as a leading source of research for policymakers and scholars, while continuing to adapt to a fast-changing digital landscape.

The journal is published by the Institute for Information Policy (IIP), which was created in 1997 and is co-housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and the College of Information Sciences and Technology. The IIP is a major resource of academic research for government entities.

When the institute started the JIP in 2011, the journal grew significantly and built a reputation as a source for timely evidence-based technology and communication research, according to Krishna Jayakar, journal editor and a professor of telecommunications in the Bellisario College. The journal’s editors make a concerted effort to maintain high peer-reviewed standards while publishing research on an evolving topical focus, within six weeks of submission, which is a quick turnaround in the academic world. 

“We publish articles that have strong policy relevance, and that, of course, changes regularly,” Jayakar said. “For example, if you look at the articles published this year, we have one on cellular broadband and others on disinformation in social media and digital rights protection.”

Jayakar added that the JIP has published special issues on artificial intelligence, cybercrime and privacy, as well.

The journal is now one of two authorized outlets for papers presented at the annual Telecommunications Policy Research Conference. The other is Telecommunications Policy, a well-established journal published by a commercial press.

In 2021, Penn State University Press moved its full catalog of journals, including JIP, to the Scholarly Publishing Collective hosted by Duke University Press. The Collective is a collaboration of nonprofit scholarly publishers and societies, which grants journals like JIP with access to a sophisticated web platform with global network reach.  

“The Press was proud to partner with the collective and make such a large investment in infrastructure, as it furthers its mission to connect research from journals like JIP with the global university community," said David Aycock, executive director of the Penn State University Press. 

Earlier this year, the Press also provided free access to the Penn State University Libraries so that everyone in the Penn State community can read all 85 journals published by the Press via the Collective when connected to a Penn State network.  

Funding the show

The cost to run the JIP is low compared to many academic journals. But Jayakar said the journal is always searching for new development and fundraising opportunities. Consistent funding leads to broader reach, more awareness and stronger research.

The JIP was initially funded by a multi-year Ford Foundation grant and thereafter through annual grants from Penn State Information Technology Services, as well as from the Bellisario College and the College of Information Sciences and Technology.

“Our fundraising allows us to keep publishing charges for authors at zero and subscription costs for readers too at zero,” Jayakar said. “But it imposes a burden on us as publishers, of finding other sources of funding."

Pointing to the rapidly evolving cultural, media and technological environments, Bortree said the JIP’s work remains critically important.

“You look at what’s happening at every corner of the telecommunications sphere, and you see a need for reliable, timely research,” Bortree said. “The Journal of Information Policy is answering questions every legislator and policymaker should be asking.”

Bouncing back

Following COVID, the journal had to navigate out of a post-pandemic slowdown. But, with its latest 14th volume, the JIP is attracting view and download totals that exceed previous levels of traffic.

“The journal is in a very good place in terms of all our quality metrics,” Jayakar said. “It’s been a satisfying run. We are well established and growing, which I think shows the need for this kind of journal.”

In fact, the JIP has become so well established that the institute no longer needs to schedule regular workshops that it once hosted to build a pipeline of submissions.

“We used to do two workshops every year in order to bring in articles,” Jayakar said. “The pandemic changed that at first. We brought them back slowly, but then we found out that we didn’t have to do them anymore. We were getting organic submissions without having to go through the workshops.”

Jayakar said the institute has continued to host periodic workshops, since they are great vehicles for outreach and awareness building.

The JIP is featured in the Emerging Sources Citation Index, a testament to its quality and visibility. However, the editorial team’s next major goal is to advance into the Social Science Citation Index, a more selective index that would demonstrate its impact and further solidify the journal’s standing in the social sciences.

In addition to Jayakar, the journal’s editors are Bellisario College faculty members Amit Schejter, a visiting professor of telecommunications and media industries, and Richard Taylor, professor emeritus of telecommunications and media industries.

Over the next five years, Jayakar said he aims to put the journal’s finances on “solid footing.” He said the editors hope to continue improving on acceptance rates and citations, as well as views and downloads.

“In the field of telecommunications policy studies, the JIP has become very well established,” Jayakar said. “Everyone in the discipline recognizes it and knows that it's a Penn State project, so it reflects well on everyone, the college, the University and the institute … all of us.”