Organizational Structures and Relationships in Canadian, Noncommercial Journals: Supporting Scholar-Led Publishing

Abstract

Library publishers have an important role in building an equitable and open scholarly publishing ecosystem. As library publishers’ services mature, it is critical to understand how noncommercial journals operate and organize their daily activities to ensure the journals’ success, longevity, and sustainability. To inform these efforts, the authors interviewed managing editors/editors-in-chief of fifteen Canadian, noncommercial journals on their organizational structures and relationships with external organizations (e.g., associations, libraries, etc.). The authors found that the journals operated collaboratively, often relied on a core team to handle their main activities, and varied in how they harnessed external relationships.