BRITISH-LIBRARY AND INFORMATION-SCIENCE JOURNALS - A STUDY OF QUALITY-CONTROL

Assessment of the quality of published research is fundamental to the research assessment process in UK universities. Citation analysis has been one important method used for such assessment. This paper explore s another method, by investigating the selection and refereeing proces ses used by journal editors. Starting from the journals in which UK LI S academics most frequently publish, the authors have described and an alysed the editorial processes employed, drawing on extended interview s with editors and others. It is concluded that valid quality control mechanisms are in place, although there is an element of subjectivity in their application, and it is suggested that professional, as oppose d to academic, journals can provide a valuable form of output for prac tice-oriented research findings. Finally, the authors note that electr onic journals could be assessed by a methodology similar to that devel oped here.