Journal profile
Practical Academic Librarianship
ISSN 1947-0037 · Special Libraries Association (SLA) · United States
Practical Academic Librarianship: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 10 weeks (community reports); 11 articles in 2025.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Practical Academic Librarianship is published by Special Libraries Association (SLA). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Library Science and Information Literacy, Library Science and Information and Web and Library Services, together about 66% of its articles. Its main subfields are Information Systems. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Practical Academic Librarianship (PAL) seeks to advance knowledge in the field of academic librarianship through the publication of scholarship with an emphasis on the practical side of academic library work. PAL is a peer-reviewed, open access journal for librarians and other information professionals serving college and university library departments or affiliated institutions including research centers, institutes, specialized collections, and other affiliated units within or related to academic institutions. PAL was founded by Leslie J. Reynolds in 2011 as a journal of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Academic Division. In 2021, the division became the Academic and Education Community (A&E) of SLA. In 2025, SLA merged with the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T). PAL is now part of ASIS&T. Co-editors Jennifer Bartlett and Stacey Greenwell assumed editorship in January 2020 and are the current co-editors. Follow our LinkedIn page for updates.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 15, India 1, Canada 1, Australia 1 (18 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Library Science and Information LiteracySocial Sciences24.6%
- Library Science and InformationComputer Science21.6%
- Web and Library ServicesComputer Science19.8%
- Library Collection Development and Digital ResourcesComputer Science7.3%
- Library Science and AdministrationSocial Sciences7.3%
- Publishing and Scholarly CommunicationArts and Humanities3.9%
- Information Science and LibrariesComputer Science2.6%
- Digital and Traditional Archives ManagementArts and Humanities1.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
DOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- h-index
- 6OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 84 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 10 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 10 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted4
- articlesArticles Research papers are generally not more than 25 manuscript pages, single-spaced.Length not stated
- in practiceIn Practice These types of articles are intended to focus primarily on experiences, tips, and other essays on practice that are not research articles, case stud…Length not stated
- special issue: mid-career reinventionSpecial Issue: Mid-Career Reinvention Submissions for this special issue are intended to focus primarily on experiences, tips, and other essays related to mid- …Length not stated
- think piecesThink Pieces These types of articles are intended to spur discussion among scholars on message boards for each piece. These are not blind peer reviewed; however…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, License & copyright, Peer review
- Authorship
Original work only; no simultaneous submissions. Model summary
The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Authors retain copyright; CCAL license. Model summary
Everything we publish is freely available. In the spirit of encouraging free open access journals, Practical Academic Librarianship applies the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) to all works we publish (read the summary or the full license legal code ). • Authors retain copyright and grant Practical Academic Librarianship right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed u…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-blind peer review for Articles; Think Pieces, In Practice, and Special Issue submissions are not blind peer reviewed but are screened by editors. Model summary
Double-blind peer review requires the separate submission of a cover page with name and affiliation of the author(s) and the paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Special Libraries Association (SLA)
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1947-0037
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 16, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Practical Academic Librarianship
How long does peer review take at Practical Academic Librarianship?
Authors report an average review time of about 10 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Practical Academic Librarianship?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: ≥ 3; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: APA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Practical Academic Librarianship based?
Of the 18 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (15), India (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Practical Academic Librarianship?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Practical Academic Librarianship is indexed in DOAJ.
Is Practical Academic Librarianship open access, and what is the APC?
Practical Academic Librarianship is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .