Information for Contributors

Purpose

portal: Libraries and the Academy, an international refereed quarterly journal, publishes articles that focus on all aspects of librarianship, knowledge management, and information services and studies within higher education. portal articles are intended for an audience that is interested in the broad role and impact of libraries within the academy. The journal welcomes submission of inquiries and proposals for topics that authors have under development and will provide guidance on the suitability for publication in portal.

portal explores how technology is affecting librarianship and scholarship, as well as the role of libraries and librarians in meeting institutional missions. The information revolution presents numerous challenges to librarians, faculty, and administrators in areas including archiving, copyright, and technology-enhanced learning. portal covers these and many other topics as they relate to the rapidly changing needs of academics and the roles of libraries and librarians. portal provides an unbiased outlet for issues that have not been addressed in other venues. Work that is collaborative between librarians and those engaged in discipline based studies is of particular interest.

Each issue includes peer-reviewed articles on subjects such as library administration, information technology, new forms of support for research and teaching, and information policy. Reviews of newly published books in areas of librarianship and higher education, as well as reviews of computer and database resources are featured. Other continuing features address technological issues, research, standards, and policy and strategic planning.

portal is available in the Project Muse collection, http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/ and as a paper publication.

Mentoring

Major journals in most disciplines pride themselves on their high rejection rates, rationalizing that a high rejection rate signifies a strong commitment to and compelling evidence of quality. Nothing could be more wasteful of the scarce resources for library research than to replicate a system that encourages authors to create a finished product that is judged and summarily rejected.

portal board, mentors, and editors are committed to help authors from the moment they decide to engage in research to the moment when they elect to submit the finished product either to portal or to some other journal. We foster a supportive and confidential environment for authors. Mentors are available to consult with authors about topic identification and selection, about issues around statistical sampling and survey design, and about crafting the article itself. We believe that early intervention enables aspiring authors to complete strong projects that are likely to be accepted for publication by an independent set of referees.

Submit inquiries and requests for mentoring to: Charles B. Lowry, clowry@deans. umd.edu