School of Information Sciences launches peer-reviewed student journal
The Wayne State University School of Information Sciences (SIS) is proud to announce the publication of the inaugural issue of The Information Warrior Journal. This student-run, fully open-access journal features work from SIS students and recent alumni, sharing insights with the global information sciences community.
The journal is published on Wayne State’s Digital Commons, the university’s institutional repository and open-access publishing platform. Beyond showcasing the research and scholarship of SIS students and graduates, the journal and its peer-review process provides a practical space for them to refine their publishing skills in a welcoming and collegial environment.
Work on the The Information Warrior Journal (TIWJ) began in spring 2021 with Faculty Advisor Kim Schroeder and the five students who became the founding senior editors of the publication, Kirsten Cessna, Hannah Grant, Melissa Moore, Lindsay Pulsipher and Ginny Schneider. Other student contributors included Jen Markowitz, credited with naming the journal; Amber Wiley Capps, responsible for naming the EmphaSIS column; and Matt Balcer, who created the journal's cover art.
“Our students worked so hard to launch the journal. The amount of time and effort that went into defining the processes and procedures from scratch cannot be overstated,” said Schroeder. “It has been a huge commitment and I am so excited that the greater information profession will be able to share in our students’ work.”
The inaugural issue spans several areas within the field of information sciences, including school libraries, public libraries, academic libraries and archives.
"The launch of The Information Warrior Journal is a significant achievement for the School of Information Sciences. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their work globally in an open access venue that reflects the values of the profession,” said Paul Bracke, dean of the Wayne State University Library System and School of Information Sciences. “We believe the inaugural issue is not just a publication; it's a tangible representation of our students' hard work and dedication to the field. We are excited to see the impact of their contributions on the broader professional community and can’t wait to see the work that these students do in the future."
Hosting a peer-reviewed academic journal within the School of Information Sciences will provide students with valuable opportunities to engage in scholarly discourse, contribute to the greater academic community and develop essential skills in research, critical analysis and effective communication.
The journal’s site on the Digital Commons also features preprints of submissions to The Information Warrior Journal. “While only select submissions will advance to publication, we feel that all of the submitted student work deserves broad attention,” said Schroeder. “The published journal articles and preprints provide a window into the excellent work happening at the School of Information Sciences.”
An editorial advisory board comprised of SIS faculty and alumni assisted in selecting submissions for publication and Joshua Neds-Fox, Wayne State’s coordinator for digital publishing and Cheryl Ball, a publishing consultant and former director of the university’s Digital Publishing Collaborative, mentored the students through the digital publishing process.
“We hope the articles will invite your continued readership and inspire conversation within the information sciences community,” said Cessna. “Perhaps they will encourage students to submit their own work to the journal or to join the editorial team.”
Contributors to the journal include Melissa A. Ewing, Ryan N. Lamberts, Leah Minadeo and Lindsay E. Pulsipher. Authors of the preprints are Sean Daigle, Michael J. Daronco, Ewing, Mary Jatkowski, Daniel Joseph E. Kelly, Lamberts and Pulsipher.
Read The Information Warrior Journal here.