Factors to Consider in Evaluating Journals
Relevance
- Extent to which the title supports academic programs
- Interdisciplinary nature of the title
- Demographic data (e.g. enrollment, level and number of courses offered, number of faculty and graduate students, etc.) about the department(s) that the title supports
- Obsolescence potential
- Inclusion on lists of journals recommended by accrediting agencies
Quality
- Reputation of editors, contributors, publishers, sponsors
- Reviews of the title
- Journal ranking studies
- Quality of paper, print, graphics, special features
- Currency and regular publication of issues
Relationship to Existing Collection
- Other journals in the same field that are available in the collection
- Accessibility through indexing and abstracting sources; availability through online collections accessible through the Libraries
- Availability from other collections
- Options available for archiving title, if it should be archived
- UTK holdings of the title
Use
- Use of current, bound and microfilm holdings
- Use of electronic files
- Extent to which UTK faculty publish in or cite the title
Cost
- Current and past price history
- Number of pages and frequency of publication
- Shelf space necessary for physical retention
- Ongoing expense likely to make title available
- Availability of price before purchase decision is made
- Comparison of vendor surcharge or staff cost to obtain directly from publisher
