10.6092/issn.1973-9494/7939
Although publishers and authors hope to see their publications having an impact in the discipline, focusing only on the quality of the published articles may not guarantee the desired impact. Papers should also respond to principles of quality not only from a scientific point of view, as it is also very important to understand and capitalize on the critical phases that lead to usage — namely ensuring exposure and discoverability of the publications by the target audience. Apart from partnering with subscription agents that offer value-added services for online publications to ensure that linking to full text is accurate and stable, full-text databases also offer an effective channel to bring high-quality journal contents to a target audience that may eventually cite the consulted articles in their own researches. Nonetheless, the publisher, and at times the editor-in-chief, also wants to make sure that the full-text databases they work with are not going to bring a negative impact on the journal subscription. Therefore, it is critical that publishers look to partners that support all areas of their business in an optimal way. This is what has been achieved across the years by the Journal “Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage” which has had excellent results in its dissemination and scientific content.
application/pdf
1973-9494
7939
en
Donald P. Doak
Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage
impact
The Stepping Stone to Greater Impact for Quality Journals is “Influence”; it is about Discoverability and Usage
Text.Serial.Journal
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/
17
Articles
2018-03-28
2018-03-26
2018-03-28
2019-09-06
59-63
CSCH
Donald P. Doak
2017
10.6092/issn.1973-9494/7939
59
EBSCO Information Services, Massachusetts
1973-9494
impact
en
63
The Stepping Stone to Greater Impact for Quality Journals is “Influence”; it is about Discoverability and Usage
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/article/download/7939/7655
17
   In any human relationship, any scientiic collaboration, any sharing of experience
dictated by different worlds, situations and conditions, there is always a natural and, in
some cases, desired integration, to achieve a common goal.
   The meeting which took place a while ago, with a Publisher Relations Manager for
EBSCO Information Services, together with Angela Mari Braida, the linguistic advisor
of the Journal “Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage”, constituted an unusually
particular moment.
   Particular, because it fully corresponded with the professionalism of EBSCO’s local
representatives to coordinate everything, with their no-less professional colleagues
and management at the far-off EBSCO headquarters in the USA. EBSCO is not only
a leading provider of research databases, e-journals, e-books, but also serves the
research needs of academic institutions, schools and public libraries, corporations and
government agencies.
   This world, offered in a clear and knowledgeable way, has given rise to an unusual
and unexpected kind of long-term collaboration which complements and integrates the
topics and aims of the Journal “Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage”. But only
apparently unusual, because it actually converges directly with the two fundamental
concepts that are the basis of the Journal’s “mission”: internationalization and interdis-
ciplinarity.
   That is why the following paper by the Senior Vice President, Donald P. Doak, seeks
to highlight in a particularly signiicant way how information services, diffused by a
seemingly geographically distant Center (i.e. Ipswich, MA, USA) in all directions and at
an intercontinental level, can appreciably and without conines, symbolize an important
form of informative contribution which is also scientiic, as it brings together the objec-
tives of the Journal.
   I would therefore like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. Doak for the paper that fol-
lows, which I consider to be part of the ongoing fruitful relationship that exists between
EBSCO and the Journal, also in relation to his highly qualiied position as Senior Vice
President Strategic Partnership International Content Licensing, as well as his long-
standing afiliation and experience gained at the Company across the years.
   My heartfelt thanks also go to all EBSCO staff who have contributed to this collabo-
ration in different ways.
                                                                            Editor-in-Chief
T    HE STEPPING STONE TO GREATER IMPACT FOR
     QUALITY JOURNALS IS “INFLUENCE”; IT IS ABOUT
     DISCOVERABILITY AND USAGE

  Donald P. Doak*5D.P
  Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & International Licensing
  EBSCO Information Services, Massachusetts, USA


   Keywords: discoverability, visibility, usage, citation, impact


   1. Introduction – about EBSCO

   EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) (Figure 1) – a division of EBSCO Industries,
Inc., established in 1944, that has been serving libraries for more than 70 years – is
the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of
research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corpo-
rate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions.
As the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, EBSCO manages
subscriptions for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals,
as well as online access to more than one million e-books. EBSCO is also the lead-
ing discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 11,000 discovery
customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each
institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering an
unparalleled wealth of content and relevance ranking quality [1].




                                                                                                  CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE




Figure 1. EBSCO Riverside campus in Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA.


* Corresponding author: information@ebsco.com

                                                                                             59
                                                                                               2. The importance of visibility and exposure of journal articles in the potential
                                                                                               for impact

                                                                                               Of course, editors of journals want to see their articles have an impact on other
                                                                                            articles, just as authors desire the same outcome. It is a measure of quality to see
                                                                                            one important study cite another. Citation Indexes have showcased this for years.
                                                                                            The manuscript acceptance (peer-review) process for top journals is rigorous, en-
                                                                                            suring the desired level of overall quality and research value is present from the
                                                                                            outset. But just because an article is strong, does not mean that it will have the
                                                                                            desired impact. And it certainly does not mean that it will have that impact within a
                                                                                            certain window of time. In order to facilitate and expedite the process of reaching
                                                                                            critical impact in a world of information overload, we have to focus on the steps
                                                                                            beyond the process of rigorous peer-review and selection - and into the critical
                                                                                            phases that lead to usage. It is only when real usage of an article occurs that we
                                                                                            will begin to see the potential for, and signs of, impact. In this way, article and
D.P. Doak - The Stepping Stone to Greater Impact for Quality Journals is “Influence”




                                                                                            journal discovery is the key to inluencing impact - which comes through visibility,
                                                                                            usage and, ultimately, citation.
                                                                                               Fundamentally, if an article is not read or used, it will never be cited. So the potential
                                                                                            for impact is inluenced greatly by the actual statistics surrounding usage. And usage
                                                                                            is governed in large part by the ability to not only discover a given article, but to gain
                                                                                            seamless access to it. In this way, broad visibility is critical to gain necessary exposure,
                                                                                            which can be described as the combination of Discoverability, Access and Usage.
                                                                                            Understanding and capitalizing on opportunities for exposure is critical for a journal
                                                                                            to reach its potential in terms of impact and value. But unilateral exposure can create
                                                                                            unintended consequences when channel partners are not fully aligned with the needs
                                                                                            and concerns of journal publishers. For example, there is tremendous exposure to be
                                                                                            had through partnerships with subscription agents who work to add value to libraries
                                                                                            who subscribe to a given journal. They can ensure automated accuracy of holdings
                                                                                            information when e-journal packages change, and as a result, ensure that linking re-
                                                                                            mains strong. This is a large part of the “access” piece. If a user inds an article from
                                                                                            a journal, but the link to the full text is not accurate or pushes the user to the volume
                                                                                            or issue level of a journal and not the actual article they were seeking, the chance for
                                                                                            inluence is lost as user frustration and abandonment occurs.


                                                                                               3. Full text databases offer a means to increase exposure

                                                                                                Full-text databases (Figure 2) are another means for greater exposure. The model
                                                                                            itself is such that libraries gain great value (i.e., number of journals included in relation
                                                                                            to cost), while journals gain visibility. Partnering with more than 14,000 publishers, EB-
                                                                                            SCO showcases more than 260,000 journals, rendering them searchable and retriev-
                                                                                            able with the same ranking criteria. EBSCO databases are among the most trusted
                                                                                            source of information for researchers. However, that model is intended as a supple-
                                                                                            ment to journal subscriptions, and not a replacement for the journal subscription. When
                                                                                            full-text database providers are not also subscription agents, there can be misalign-
                                                                                            ment of interest that leads to negative consequences for libraries and publishers. As
                                                                                            such, it is critical, when considering potential avenues for exposure, that publishers, as
                                                                                            well as editors-in-chief, look to partners that support all areas of their business - from


                                                                                       60
journal subscription services, to full-text databases, to discovery services - and the
means to enhance linking and the overall user experience.




Figure 2. A search in the Art & Architecture Source full text database.



   4. The case of Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage (CSCH)

    It is these calculated partnerships that can make or break the desire to gain the




                                                                                                   CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
exposure that will lead to inluence and impact. Take, for example, Conservation Sci-
ence in Cultural Heritage (CSCH). Its mission is to circulate knowledge on a global
level not only among academics but also across archives, government agencies, and
researchers at large. This desire for wide accessibility of quality literature for purposes
of knowledge dissemination and enhanced discipline-speciic scholarship is critical for
most providers. But the success level varies greatly from publication to publication. Of
course, there are a lot of factors at play, but exposure is showing itself as a major vari-
able in this equation. When reliable information teams with aspects of exposure and
ease of use, researchers beneit, and the upward swing ensues. Conservation Science
in Cultural Heritage has experienced just this.
    The journal decided to develop a well-rounded partnership with EBSCO Information
Services (EBSCO) with the goal to maximize exposure and usage. EBSCO is a journal
subscription service, a full-text database provider, and a discovery service provider.
Moreover, they are the leading providers in each of the categories worldwide, which
open many doors for exposure immediately for partnering journals. In a short window
of time since partnering with EBSCO, CSCH has experienced a major spike in institu-
tions that now have access to the journal, and it is having a profound impact on the
mission to enhance scholarship across the subject areas that the journal supports.
With a nearly 300% usage increase in recent months, compared to prior to participa-
tion, the inluence the journal has on researchers is exponentially increasing.


                                                                                              61
                                                                                               And moreover, we are seeing that this inluence is having a direct effect on impact.
                                                                                            Very recently the journal has been selected for Web of Science (WoS) Core Collec-
                                                                                            tion: the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI - http://wokinfo.com/products_tools/
                                                                                            multidisciplinary/esci/). This is an indication of quality and impact, and it is an honor.
                                                                                            The publisher is realizing a greater value and purpose for the quality research that they
                                                                                            provide. It is happening through participation with EBSCO. Exposure, discovery and
                                                                                            access is facilitating the desired inluence on scholarship. The publisher is seeing the
                                                                                            results in the increased usage statistics. And the resulting impact is real.


                                                                                                  References

                                                                                            [1]     About EBSCO: https://www.ebsco.com
D.P. Doak - The Stepping Stone to Greater Impact for Quality Journals is “Influence”




                                                                                                  Biographical notes

                                                                                               Donald P. Doak is Senior Vice President in charge of Strategic Partnerships&
                                                                                            International Licensing for EBSCO databases, e-books, and SaaS (Software as a Ser-
                                                                                            vice). He has been with EBSCO Information Services for 25 years and has extensive
                                                                                            experience in many areas of EBSCO operations. He has been a senior executive in
                                                                                            the APK division (Academic, Public Library & K12 School), Medical, as well as the Cor-
                                                                                            porate & Federal division. Don has spoken at many information industry conferences
                                                                                            and uses his extensive industry knowledge to help balance the needs of our partners
                                                                                            and customers.



                                                                                                Summary
                                                                                                Although publishers and authors hope to see their publications having an impact in
                                                                                            the discipline, focusing only on the quality of the published articles may not guarantee
                                                                                            the desired impact. Papers should also respond to principles of quality not only from a
                                                                                            scientiic point of view, as it is also very important to understand and capitalize on the
                                                                                            critical phases that lead to usage — namely ensuring exposure and discoverability of the
                                                                                            publications by the target audience. Apart from partnering with subscription agents that
                                                                                            offer value-added services for online publications to ensure that linking to full text is ac-
                                                                                            curate and stable, full-text databases also offer an effective channel to bring high-quality
                                                                                            journal contents to a target audience that may eventually cite the consulted articles in
                                                                                            their own researches. Nonetheless, the publisher, and at times the editor-in-chief, also
                                                                                            wants to make sure that the full-text databases they work with are not going to bring a
                                                                                            negative impact on the journal subscription. Therefore, it is critical that publishers look to
                                                                                            partners that support all areas of their business in an optimal way. This is what has been
                                                                                            achieved across the years by the Journal “Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage”
                                                                                            which has had excellent results in its dissemination and scientiic content.

                                                                                               Riassunto
                                                                                               È noto che gli editori e gli autori debbono rispondere a dei principi di qualità non
                                                                                            solo dal punto di vista scientiico, ma anche in relazione alla diffusione e destinazione


                                                                                       62
degli articoli. È anche importante la collaborazione con agenti intermediari che of-
frono servizi aggiuntivi, ma anche pubblicazioni online, per garantire testi completi e
accurati, nonché database full text, permettendo che canali eficaci portino i contenuti
delle riviste ad un pubblico più vasto che potrebbe anche citare gli articoli nelle loro
ricerche. Tuttavia, l’editore e, talvolta, l’editor-in-chief, desiderano assicurarsi che i da-
tabase a testo integrale con cui lavorano non abbiano un impatto negativo e, quindi,
sull’accettazione. Pertanto, è fondamentale che gli editori scelgano partners che sup-
portino in maniera ottimale tutte le aree della loro attività. È quanto si è realizzato
lungo il corso degli anni con il Journal “Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage”
pervenendo a risultati eccellenti sia nella diffusione sia nel contenuto scientiici.




                                                                                                      CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE




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