Library Trends: Journal Impact Factor & Metrics

Library Trends journal metrics encompass the journal-level citation ratios, indexing classifications, and bibliometric indicators assigned to Library Trends (Print ISSN 0024-2594, Online ISSN 1559-0682), a quarterly peer-reviewed thematic journal published by Johns Hopkins University Press for the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. These indicators include a Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 0.6 (5-year JIF of 0.7) within the Information Science & Library Science category, a Scopus CiteScore of approximately 1.6, and a SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) of 0.213 (Quartile 3). Under responsible research assessment frameworks including DORA and CoARA, these aggregated journal-level measures reflect citation velocity across guest-edited thematic collections and cannot serve as evaluative proxies for individual scholarly contributions.

ByCASRAI Editorial Board

· Last updated 7 Nov 2026

What is Library Trends?

Library Trends (Print ISSN 0024-2594, Online ISSN 1559-0682) is published quarterly by the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with Johns Hopkins University Press as publisher. Back issues are available on Project MUSE and in the University of Illinois repository, IDEALS. The journal belongs to the fields of library science and information science.

How does the editorial model work?

According to the iSchool’s publication page (checked 2026-11-07), the journal only accepts manuscripts in response to calls for papers. Each issue is organised around a theme proposed to the Editor-in-Chief, Melissa A. Wong, with advice from the Editorial Board; guest editors are selected from the submitted proposals, and the proposals and the papers they contain are subject to rigorous external review. The page describes the process as taking roughly 18 months from conception to publication. Managing Editor is Natasha Sims.

What is the Journal Impact Factor and how is it calculated?

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is a journal-level citation ratio calculated by Clarivate in the Journal Citation Reports: citations received in a given JCR year to items published in the preceding two calendar years, divided by the citable items published in those years. Clarivate also reports a five-year version. Because each Library Trends issue is a themed collection, citations tend to cluster in specialist subfields, so a single-year ratio can move noticeably from year to year. The current values for Library Trends are listed in the Journal Citation Reports and Clarivate’s Master Journal List; see how to look up a journal’s impact factor for the lookup route. For examples of how other journals’ figures are presented, see the Hindawi journal impact factor guide.

Can a journal metric judge an individual article?

No. The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) calls for not using journal-based metrics, such as journal impact factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles. A journal figure describes the journal in aggregate and says nothing about the rigour or influence of any single paper. Related ideas are covered in our guide to post-publication peer review.

Frequently asked questions

Is Library Trends peer reviewed?

Yes. The iSchool states that issue proposals and the papers they contain are subject to rigorous external review.

Can I submit an unsolicited article?

The iSchool states that the journal only accepts manuscripts in response to calls for papers.

Where can I read Library Trends?

On Project MUSE (muse.jhu.edu/journal/334) and in the University of Illinois IDEALS repository.

Where do I find the impact factor?

In Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports, for the JCR year you need.

Sources

School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Library Trends.” Checked 2026-11-07. https://ischool.illinois.edu/news/publications/library-trends
Project MUSE. “Library Trends.” Checked 2026-11-07. https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/334
Clarivate. “Master Journal List.” https://mjl.clarivate.com/
San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). Checked 2026-11-07. https://sfdora.org/read/

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