Librarian Contributions to a Revamped Open-Access Public Health Journal

Abstract

Objectives: :To improve the quality of a recently revived online journal, publishing original research in public health. Methods: A health sciences librarian who is embedded in an academic public health institute was asked to assist in the preparation of a recently revived journal for application for review by NLM and the DOAJ. The public health institute serves as the academic partner to a state public health association, which published the journal from 2006-2009. The journal was revived by the institute and association as an open access publication in 2015. The institute, and the association’s board of directors, were very interested in increasing the scholarly value and impact of their publication. Results: Reviewing NLM’s application for indexing in MEDLINE led the librarian (and a colleague) to contribute to additional enhancements: the establishment of a secure archival site, selecting a Creative Commons license, adhering to Open Access ideals, and obtaining a Crossref account for DOIs for each article. The librarian applied to Thomson/Reuters for the journal’s inclusion in the Science Citation Index as a “regional journal.” The journal is in final consideration for inclusion in the DOAJ; applications to NLM and Thomson are awaiting decisions. The librarian works closely with administrative staff as each issue is published to ensure DOIs are assigned correctly. Conclusion: This ongoing project has enhanced the embedded librarian’s value to the public health institute and assisted in the scholarly development of the journal. Design improvements to the web site are being suggested by the librarian and will be submitted to the institute’s director. The institute has begun a research study on state public health associations and barriers to publishing state-level public health research; the librarian is included on the research team for this project as well.