2.1. Bibliometric Analysis

Data on LIS journals in Asia were gathered from the SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) portal (SCImago, n.d.), which provides Scopus-indexed journal metrics, including H-Index values, publication output, and quartile rankings from 2017 to 2023. The SJR database is publicly accessible and updated annually, allowing for a broad view of publishing trends and journal performance across the region. Filtering for LIS journals from Asian countries resulted in 17 journals for comparative analysis. JISTaP’s development was examined across four publishing periods (2013-2016, 2017-2019, 2020-2022, and 2023-present), each representing key milestones in the journal’s growth.

2.2. SWOT Analysis

To complement the bibliometric analysis, a SWOT analysis was used to evaluate JISTaP’s internal strengths and external challenges (Pickton & Wright, 1998). The SWOT framework is a well-established tool in strategic planning and is particularly useful for assessing a journal’s long-term sustainability and competitive position.

The analysis incorporated bibliometric data alongside qualitative insights from internal institutional reports and editorial strategy assessments, ensuring a well-rounded evaluation of JISTaP’s position in the evolving LIS publishing landscape. By integrating quantitative metrics with qualitative perspectives, this mixed-methods approach provides a balanced assessment of the journal’s trajectory and future outlook.

3.1. Scopus-Indexed Asian LIS Journals (Based on SJR Data)

The 2023 list of Scopus-indexed Asian LIS journals, extracted from SJR, represents a snapshot of the current research landscape, offering insights into the evolving scholarly communication in LIS across the region (Table 1). As shown, East Asian countries including China and Taiwan, alongside India, demonstrate dominance with three Scopus-indexed journals each. In contrast, JISTaP is the only journal from South Korea indexed in Scopus under the LIS subject area, while Southeast Asia has a more limited presence, reflecting variations in research infrastructure development across the region. In India, the influence of governmental and institutional backing is evident through publishers like the Defence Scientific Information & Documentation Centre, which publishes the DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology. This suggests how national research priorities shape regional scholarship. Singson et al. (2025) showed that policies and initiatives—such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), and UGC-CARE (Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics)—have played a pivotal role in increasing top-tier journal publications and enhancing research productivity.

Furthermore, the data in Table 1 confirms that journal longevity varies dramatically across the index—established publications like Library and Information Science (Japan, indexed since 1980) coexist with recent entrants such as Data Analysis and Knowledge Discovery (China, since 2019). Gaps in indexing for journals from Singapore and Pakistan after 2022 demonstrate the tenuous nature of maintaining continuous inclusion in international databases. Perhaps most revealing is the overall coverage trend, where fluctuating indexing periods and occasional gaps (as seen with Taiwan’s Journal of Information Science and Engineering in 1995) confirm that Asian LIS scholarship operates in a dynamic environment. These patterns suggest that academic influence continues to shift and evolve, creating an uneven but gradually expanding footprint in global information science discourse, which is consistent with previous studies such as Oh (2020) that have examined the transformation of Asian LIS journals and their increasing integration into international scholarly communication.

3.2. H-Index Performance of Asian LIS Journals

Fig. 1 presents the H-Index trends of Asian LIS journals from 2018 to 2023, indicating distinctions between high-impact, mid-range, and emerging journals. The Journal of Information Science and Engineering consistently leads with an H-Index of 42, reflecting its strong scholarly influence. Other well-established journals, such as the Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science (H-Index 29) and Journal of Information and Knowledge Management (H-Index 27), maintain relatively high citation impact over time. JISTaP has remained stable at an H-Index of 8 since its Scopus indexing in 2017, positioning it in the mid-range category alongside DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology (H-Index 19) and Annals of Library and Information Studies (H-Index 17). While JISTaP has maintained its standing, it has not shown the upward path seen in some regional counterparts. Meanwhile, emerging journals such as the IAFOR Journal of Literature and Librarianship (H-Index 2) and Journal of Library Science in China (H-Index 3-5) remain at lower citation levels. Fig. 1 illustrates how some journals experience slow but steady growth, while others, including JISTaP, have yet to gain significant citation influence, underscoring the need for increased visibility and stronger citation engagement.

Fig. 1

H-Index of Asian library and information science journals (2017-2023).

3.3. Publication Output Trends in Asian LIS Journals

Fig. 2 reveals the distinctive publication dynamics of JISTaP within the landscape of Asian scholarly journals. While some journals show extreme publication patterns, JISTaP occupies a unique middle ground. The journal’s document count varies dramatically from 20 in 2018 to 36 in 2019, surging to 80 in 2020, peaking at 149 in 2021, and then recalibrating to 42 in 2022. In contrast, Data Analysis and Knowledge Discovery exhibits an explosive growth trajectory, rocketing from minimal publications to 441 documents by 2022. The Journal of Scientometric Research follows a similar rapid expansion, increasing to 150 documents. At the other end of the spectrum, journals like Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries have contracted significantly, dropping from 42 to 16 publications. Agricultural and scientometric journals in the dataset display particularly volatile patterns, with extreme fluctuations that dwarf JISTaP’s variations. The Journal of Information Science and Engineering demonstrates a more gradual decline, reducing from 310 to 246 documents. This finding indicates that JISTaP has positioned itself as a moderate performer amidst the diverse and dynamic Asian scholarly communication landscape. In a broader sense, JISTaP’s publication pattern reflects the unpredictable nature of scholarly journal publishing.

Fig. 2

Yearly documents published of Asian library and information science journals (2017-2023).

3.4. SJR Quartile Rankings and Journal Positioning

Fig. 3 shows SJR Quartile ranking trends (2017-2023) among Asian LIS journals, with JISTaP maintaining a consistent Q3 position throughout this period. Quartile rankings reflect each journal’s position within its field, where Q1 represents the top 25% of journals and Q4 the bottom 25%. Notably, newer entrants such as the Journal of Library Science in China and Journal of Library and Information Studies emerged around 2020 and secured Q3-Q4 rankings upon entering the index. IAFOR Journal of Literature and Librarianship moved from no ranking to Q4, maintaining this position thereafter. Data Analysis and Knowledge Discovery showed upward mobility by achieving Q3 shortly after appearing in the index. Meanwhile, the Journal of Information Science and Engineering fluctuated between Q3 and occasional Q2 rankings, with Q2 representing higher impact. JISTaP’s steady Q3 position contrasts with these variations among regional peers. Ranking patterns align with the H-Index and publication output trends discussed earlier, illustrating the competitive environment within the Asian LIS publishing ecosystem.

Fig. 3

SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) quartile rankings of Asian library and information science journals (2017-2023).

5.1. Strengths: Legitimacy & Visibility

JISTaP possesses significant advantages in international standing, institutional support, and its publishing model that collectively establish its position in the LIS scholarly ecosystem. As summarized in Table 3, its status as Korea’s only Scopus-indexed English-language LIS journal provides a crucial bridge between Asian research and global scholarly communities. The journal’s OA model with free copy-editing services and currently zero APC eliminates financial barriers for authors, promoting accessibility and diverse contributions. Institutional backing from the KISTI provides essential financial stability, technological infrastructure, and networking opportunities that support long-term sustainability. Despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, shifts in publishing trends, and funding uncertainties, JISTaP has maintained remarkable submission stability, indicating strong author trust and operational resilience.

Strong editorial leadership and global engagement further enhance JISTaP’s visibility and scholarly influence. The journal actively participates in international LIS networks, academic conferences, and collaborative research initiatives, extending its scholarly reach. Its diverse, internationally engaged editorial board attracts quality submissions from researchers worldwide, strengthening its academic reputation. The growing number of international submissions from across Asia, Europe, and beyond demonstrates JISTaP’s expanding global presence. Though still building its citation impact, the journal’s commitment to next-generation publishing through ACOMS+, an advanced submission management system, streamlines workflows and improves accessibility for both Korean and global researchers, establishing JISTaP as an emerging contributor to the evolving LIS publishing landscape.

5.2. Weaknesses: Structural Challenges

JISTaP encounters fundamental visibility, sustainability, and operational issues that limit its competitive standing in the global LIS publishing ecosystem. As summarized in Table 4, a key limitation is the lack of indexing in Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and WoS, restricting its visibility in high-impact academic circles and reducing its ability to compete with well-established LIS journals. Despite growth in submissions, its citation impact remains modest, which affects its long-term scholarly reputation. Furthermore, JISTaP is often perceived as an institution-driven rather than a commercially independent journal, which may limit its ability to attract a more diverse author base and compete with major LIS journals operated by multinational publishers. The publishing environment is dominated by large commercial players with strong indexing, high-impact metrics, and aggressive marketing strategies, creating significant barriers for JISTaP in gaining broader recognition and legitimacy. These challenges reflect the systematic inequalities in global academic publishing that consistently privilege publications from the Global North and commercial publishers (Collyer, 2016).

Another challenge is our ability to sustain financial and operational stability. Although KISTI provides crucial institutional support, JISTaP lacks independent revenue streams, unlike commercial journals that secure funding through APCs, subscription models, or sponsorships. This reliance on institutional backing creates uncertainty regarding long-term sustainability and the ability to scale operations, recruit top-tier editorial talent, and expand global outreach. Moreover, JISTaP’s transition to the ACOMS+ submission system, despite being a step forward in modernizing editorial processes, introduces a learning curve for authors and reviewers unfamiliar with non-commercial platforms. This shift may temporarily slow submission processes and peer review efficiency, potentially discouraging new contributors. To strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive LIS publishing landscape, we must address these structural challenges and enhance its visibility and influence within the global academic community.

5.3. Opportunities: Expansion and Innovation

JISTaP can capitalize on several strategic pathways for advancement in the evolving scholarly publishing environment. As supported by Table 1 and Figs. 1Fig. 2-3, the growing number of Scopus-indexed LIS journals in Asia indicates a developing research landscape that could enhance the journal’s global reach. The bibliometric comparisons demonstrate increasing recognition of Scopus-indexed publications, potentially strengthening JISTaP’s competitive position. The journal’s editorial board’s active participation in international LIS conferences and professional networks raises its profile and creates opportunities for collaborations with scholars worldwide. A significant opportunity exists in further internationalizing its editorial leadership—while many LIS journals struggle with editorial diversity (Oh et al., 2019), JISTaP could distinguish itself by pioneering a truly global editorial approach.

The key opportunities for JISTaP, as illustrated in Table 5, include leveraging advancements in digital publishing to enhance operational efficiency and maintain manuscript quality. Implementing enhanced metadata indexing, automated plagiarism detection, and sophisticated digital archiving could further strengthen the journal’s position. JISTaP’s adoption of ACOMS+ (Chung et al., 2024) represents a significant improvement in editorial infrastructure, promising long-term benefits for workflow management and user experience. As Korea’s first system combining open peer review with OA publishing, ACOMS+ positions JISTaP as a potential model for transparency in scholarly communication. The journal’s commitment to balancing theoretical and applied LIS research aligns with emerging global research priorities—including information overload, digital information environments, and the digital exposome (Marchionini, 2022). Here, JISTaP’s coeditor-in-chief, Dr. Marchionini, refers to the digital exposome as the impact of ongoing exposure to digital information on human wellbeing, creating opportunities for the journal to attract submissions addressing these contemporary challenges. Furthermore, by maintaining its no-APC model, JISTaP can leverage its position to attract quality research from regions affected by systematic inequalities in global academic publishing (Collyer, 2016), potentially increasing both submission rates and citation impact.

5.4. Threats: Competitiveness and Financial Pressure

JISTaP confronts substantial challenges in today’s competitive scholarly publishing environment. As summarized in Table 6, the dominance of major commercial publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, and Wiley in the OA market creates significant competitive pressure. These publishers leverage extensive resources, established reputations, and high-impact indexing advantages, making it difficult for independent journals like JISTaP to compete for author attention, citations, and visibility. The proliferation of OA LIS journals regionally and internationally intensifies competition for indexing positions, readership, and academic influence. As more journals secure Scopus and other database listings, maintaining JISTaP’s distinctive identity and scholarly relevance requires increasingly strategic efforts.

Financial sustainability remains a substantial challenge for JISTaP. As a non-commercial journal, it lacks the diversified revenue streams that commercial publishers generate through subscription models or APCs. Although institutional backing from KISTI provides critical infrastructure, the long-term financial viability of the journal remains uncertain, particularly as rising costs for editorial management, digital publishing technologies, and manuscript processing place increasing demands on available resources. The continuation of the free APC policy specifically may be at risk. Without alternative funding mechanisms, sustaining high publication standards may become increasingly difficult. Furthermore, maintaining editorial quality presents an ongoing challenge, as many experienced scholars in the LIS field balance substantial institutional responsibilities, potentially limiting their capacity to engage in editorial and peer review processes. This, in turn, may impact review timelines and academic rigor. Addressing these challenges necessitates a strategic approach to strengthening JISTaP’s competitive positioning, securing financial stability, and ensuring the retention of a qualified editorial network to uphold scholarly excellence.

5.5. Strategic Imperatives for JISTaP’s Future

For JISTaP to thrive in the evolving academic publishing landscape, several strategic approaches would strengthen its position and secure its future. Enhancing citation metrics and indexing, particularly through SSCI inclusion, offers pathways to greater credibility, potentially attracting high-impact submissions that could further solidify its standing. The current instability of its manuscript system presents an opportunity for improvement, with AI-driven editorial processes offering promising solutions to workflow efficiency challenges. Expanding international collaborations—through a more diverse editorial board and global research partnerships—would likely widen its reach while reinforcing its authority in LIS scholarship (Oh et al., 2024).

However, financial sustainability remains a significant challenge. To address rising costs and funding uncertainties, JISTaP would benefit from actively pursuing institutional sponsorships, grant-based funding, and alternative financial models that align with its OA mission. Furthermore, the rapid expansion of commercial publishers and LIS journals necessitates developing a clear competitive edge—JISTaP stands to gain from embracing editorial innovation, digital transformation, and strategic networking to maintain influence. Beyond mere adaptation, JISTaP has the opportunity to redefine its role in global scholarly publishing, contributing to a more inclusive, accessible, and forward-thinking academic ecosystem. The question extends beyond whether JISTaP can evolve, to how boldly it will shape the future of LIS publishing.