Information Research journal celebrates 30 years – a pioneer for open access
2025-04-30
The journal was founded by Tom D. Wilson, professor emeritus at the University of Sheffield and the University of Borås, who for many years was editor-in-chief and is recently retired.
Ahead of the 30th anniversary celebrations, a special anniversary issue will be published on 15 May.
Over the years, Information Research has evolved from covering research in information science, library science, information systems, information management, and archive and document management, to also include new information-related disciplines and sub-disciplines.
In 2017, the Swedish School of Library and Information Science at the University of Borås took over as the responsible publisher of the journal and in January this year the publication was moved to the open platform Publicera, which is run by the National Library of Sweden.
Crystal Fulton, professor emerita at University College Dublin and affiliated with the Swedish School of Library and Information Science in Borås, editor-in-chief since 2024, explains the move,
"The main purpose of the move to Publicera was to ensure stability for the future. The journal has been developed and introduced a revised publication plan with ongoing publication, updated documentation for authors and the editorial team, a revised publishing license and new members of the editorial team who contribute important insights to different parts of the journal. We have also introduced new methods for accrediting reviewers," she said.
Showed that the model is possible
Open access has been a given for the journal. In an interview with the National Library of Sweden, Tom D. Wilson said, "True open access is the platinum model, or diamond model as it is also called, which Information Research has. It has no fees for either readers or authors. The fact that I managed to keep the journal alive for almost 30 years as a 'one-man orchestra' shows that the model is possible."
The journal's production team is currently working on transferring the archive of previous issues to the new system, which will take some time, but ultimately lead to a unified archive.”
"At the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, we are very proud of the trust to manage and be responsible publisher for Information Research. The journal plays a crucial role in research in library and information science," said Karen Nowé Hedvall, Head of Department at the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, and continued,
"The founder, Professor Tom Wilson, is a leading figure in the international development of library and information science, and the journal continuously publishes a large number of peer-reviewed studies at the forefront of the research field with considerable breadth of subject matter and international support.
Information Research also publishes proceedings for some of the most important conferences in the field, such as iConference, which in 2025 was organized at Indiana University in the United States with a total of 249 contributions, of which Information Research accounted for 106 research articles.
A free publication model
The enables the communication of and access to new essential knowledge for researchers, practitioners and decision-makers around the world on equal terms. In this way, the journal functions as a forum for empirical and theoretical knowledge exchange of great value, which strengthens the impact, development, and societal benefit of research.
"For the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, publishing responsibility means an important position within the scientific community. By publishing a highly regarded journal with open access, we contribute to the dissemination of knowledge, international collaboration and more accessible science – in line with the fundamental values of openness and participation in research and science policy," concluded Karen Nowé Hedvall.
Read more
Information Research, publishes research results on a wide range of information-related topics. Recently, the journal was moved to the National Library of Sweden's platform Publicera, the national platform for openly available Swedish scientific journals.
The editorial board consists of: Professor Crystal Fulton (University College Dublin/Swedish School of Library and Information Science), Editor-in-Chief, Dr Wout Dillen (Swedish School of Library and Information Science), Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Anton Carlander Borgström (Swedish School of Library and Information Science), Editorial Director, and Ty Nilsson (Swedish School of Library and Information Science), Editorial Assistant. In addition, there will be a team of eight regional editors who together receive articles from all continents of the world, among them Veronica Johansson Sydqvist, Associate Professor, (Swedish School of Library and Information Science).
About Information Research on the new location at the National Library
Read an earlier news article: Information Research in a new suit (2023), in Swedish
iConference is arranged by iSchools, with which the University of Borås collaborates.
Learn more about iSchools and iConference
Celebrating 30 Years of Information Research
Date and time: 10 June 2025, 2pm-3pm CET
About: At this online seminar, we will be celebrating the 30 year anniversary of Information Research – the diamond Open Access research journal founded by Tom Wilson in 1995, maintained by the Swedish School of Library and Information Science since 2017, and currently hosted by the Swedish National Library. For this event, the journal editors invited authors who contributed to our celebratory Special Issue (published on 15 May 2025) to participate in a round table to introduce their short papers, reflect on the journal’s anniversary, and answer questions from the audience.
All are welcome, but registration is required.
The zoom link and registration methods will follow shortly.
Solveig Klug
Suss Wilén