Journal profile · INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science
ISSN 0256-8861 · eISSN 2304-8263 · Stellenbosch University · South Africa
South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science: CAS Zone 4 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 6 weeks (community reports); 14 articles a year; indexed in ESCI.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science is published by Stellenbosch University and is in Zone 4 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Library Science and Information Literacy, Library Science and Administration and Publishing and Scholarly Communication, together about 47.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Information Systems. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
This academic peer-reviewed journal consists of articles related to information literacy, library management, information management, knowledge management, children's literature, ethics, globalisation, impact of the digital divide, technology, scholarly comminication, indigenous knowldege systems, open scholarship,etc.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Siviwe BanganiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 14, India 1, Canada 1, Sweden 1, Portugal 1 (20 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Library Science and Information LiteracySocial Sciences26.8%
- Library Science and AdministrationSocial Sciences13.8%
- Publishing and Scholarly CommunicationArts and Humanities6.9%
- Library Collection Development and Digital ResourcesComputer Science6.7%
- Web and Library ServicesComputer Science6.1%
- Knowledge Management and SharingSocial Sciences4.3%
- Education Systems and PolicySocial Sciences3.6%
- ICT in Developing CommunitiesComputer Science3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Information Science & Library Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Information Science & Library Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIDOAJLetPub
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
- 31OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 144OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.44OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.46%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 14LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 622 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 22 | 22 | 109 |
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 43 |
| 2021 | 16 | 16 | 79 |
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 6 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 6 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | ZAR 20,000 | No | CC BY-SA | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 20,000 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 20,000 | 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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 190 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- Harvard
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- book reviews of a practical nature can be shorter. Book reviews should be 1,000 to 1,200 words. Letters should comment on topics covered in the journal ormain text ≤ 1,200 words
- book reviewsOriginal contributions should be in English and may take the form of scholarly articles, review articles, practical library work, short communications, book rev…Length not stated
- letters to the editorOriginal contributions should be in English and may take the form of scholarly articles, review articles, practical library work, short communications, book rev…Length not stated
- practical library workOriginal contributions should be in English and may take the form of scholarly articles, review articles, practical library work, short communications, book rev…Length not stated
- review articlesOriginal contributions should be in English and may take the form of scholarly articles, review articles, practical library work, short communications, book rev…Length not stated
- scholarly articlesOriginal contributions should be in English and may take the form of scholarly articles, review articles, practical library work, short communications, book rev…Length not stated
- short communicationsOriginal contributions should be in English and may take the form of scholarly articles, review articles, practical library work, short communications, book rev…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access, Plagiarism
- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Model summary
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors (copyright owners) should be properly acknowledged when works are cited. Authors retain publishing rights without any restrictions. South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science is an Open Access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Open access; authors retain copyright and publishing rights without restrictions. Model summary
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors (copyright owners) should be properly acknowledged when works are cited. Authors retain publishing rights without any restrictions.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism report
Plagiarism report required from 1 August 2015; manuscripts scanned against CrossCheck database; plagiarized manuscripts not considered for publication. Model summary
From 1 August 2015, all manuscripts submitted to SAJLIS must be accompanied by a plagiarism report from a reputable plagiarism checker, such as Turnitin or iThenticate. Please upload the plagiarism report at the submission stage.Â
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
- Stellenbosch University
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0256-8861
- Electronic ISSN
- 2304-8263
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 92, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science
What CAS zone is South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science is in Zone 4 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Information Science & Library Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science?
Authors report an average review time of about 6 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 South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 190 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: Harvard. 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 South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science based?
Of the 20 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (14), India (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science is indexed in ESCI and DOAJ.
Is South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .