Discernment, a journal from ACU’s Siburt Institute and hosted by ACU Library, is gaining influence due in part to the Library’s journal services.The Library helped Discernment get started in 2015 to further unique scholarship in practical theology and as part of the Library’s open access initiative. Now in its third year, Discernment has expanded to a worldwide readership.
“It is not enough merely to put articles online. A journal has to be discoverable in places that researchers look, and it has to communicate clearly its quality. Part of the Library’s journal services is to provide expertise on how to do these things,” said Laura Baker (’87).
The library most recently applied for an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) from the Library of Congress for Discernment, and that application was successful. The ISSN is a mark of recognition and legitimacy for journals. Discernment articles have been downloaded over 2,300 times, and downloads have nearly doubled each year.
The ISSN is just the first step. With this number in place, Discernment can now be considered for inclusion in major indexes such as EBSCO and Directory of Open Access Journals. It is all part of making good research visible.