Journal profile · Social Sciences-Library and Information Sciences
Public Services Quarterly
ISSN 1522-8959 · eISSN 1522-9114 · Taylor & Francis
Public Services Quarterly: subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; review about 26 days (submission to first decision, publisher); acceptance rate 20% (journal website); 58 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Public Services Quarterly is published by Taylor & Francis. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Library Science and Information Literacy, Web and Library Services and Library Science and Administration, together about 62.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Information Systems. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Public Services Quarterly covers a broad spectrum of public service issues in academic libraries, presenting practical strategies for implementing new initiatives and research-based insights into effective practices. The journal publishes research-based and theoretical articles as well as case studies that advance the understanding of public services, including reference and research assistance, information literacy instruction, access and delivery services, and other services to patrons. Articles may examine creative ways to use technology to assist students and faculty. Practice-based articles should be thoroughly grounded in the literature and should situate the work done in one library into the larger context of the situation. Public Services Quarterly also publishes a strong selection of continuing columns. Columns aim to keep public service librarians up to date on the latest resources, from the latest professional books and important web sites, to articles on key themes in the field. Other columns illuminate the thoughts of graduate students in graduate library and information science programs worldwide; key issues in technology as they relate to public services; fresh marketing ideas; and issues confronting academic special libraries. Peer Review Policy: All articles in regular issues of Public Services Quarterly have undergone double anonymized review. Articles in thematic issues undergo double anonymized review at the discretion of the special issue editor.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Library and Information Sciences
Editor-in-chief Kimberly MitchellPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Library Science and Information LiteracySocial Sciences23.1%
- Web and Library ServicesComputer Science20.6%
- Library Science and AdministrationSocial Sciences18.7%
- Library Science and InformationComputer Science18.4%
- Library Collection Development and Digital ResourcesComputer Science3.8%
- Information Science and LibrariesComputer Science3.7%
- Digital and Traditional Archives ManagementArts and Humanities1.6%
- Literacy, Media, and EducationArts 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.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ProQuest, OCLC, De Gruyter Saur, EBSCOhost, Current Abstracts, Education Research Complete, FRANCIS, Library & Information Science Source, Library, Information Science & Technolgoy Abstracts (LISTA), MasterFILE Complete, MLA International Bibliography, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, TOC Premier, Elsevier BV, Gale, ArticleFirst, CSA Sociological Abstracts, Ovid, Aerospace Database, CSA Socail services Abstracts, Engineering Research Database, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, METADX, PAIS International, Worldwild Political Science Abstracts, VINITI RANPublisher website
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.32LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.32Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.78LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.78Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 25OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 127OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.61OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 39,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,162 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43 | 3 | 215 |
| 2025 | 58 | 4 | 359 |
| 2024 | 56 | 2 | 379 |
| 2023 | 52 | 3 | 395 |
| 2022 | 49 | 3 | 367 |
| 2021 | 48 | 2 | 368 |
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 20%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 26 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted4
- book reviewDonna Church Book Review | Published online: 3 Sep 2026Length not stated
- commentKathryn New et al. Comment | Published online: 27 Aug 2026Length not stated
- editorialEditor-in-Chief Kimberly Mitchell - Collection Development Librarian, Schaffer Library, Union College Technology Column Editor Joy DuBose - Library Director, Dr…Length not stated
- research articleMadison Brents et al. Research Article | Published online: 14 Sep 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Zero Embargo Green OA Policy for all Library & Information Science journals. Model summary
Public Services Quarterly is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review for regular issues; thematic issues at special issue editor's discretion. Model summary
All articles in regular issues of Public Services Quarterly have undergone double anonymized review. Articles in thematic issues undergo double anonymized review at the discretion of the special issue editor.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1522-8959
- Electronic ISSN
- 1522-9114
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 22, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Public Services Quarterly
How long does peer review take at Public Services Quarterly?
The publisher reports about 26 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 20%. 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.
Which databases index Public Services Quarterly?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Public Services Quarterly is indexed in Scopus.
Is Public Services Quarterly open access, and what is the APC?
Public Services Quarterly is a subscription journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .