Information For Authors

Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) is an American Library Association (ALA) Core journal. ITAL publishes original material related to all aspects of information technology in all types of libraries. We are a selective, peer-reviewed journal with a low acceptance rate (approximately 10% per year are accepted) and a five-year journal impact factor of 1.9 from Social Science Citation Index. As a diamond/platinum open access journal, ITAL does not charge any submission fees or article processing charges (APCs).

ITAL publishes issues four times per year. Prospective authors should review our About the Journal page for the journal's section policies, as well as the Submissions guidelines to better understand the submission process and publication timing. Authors need to register with the journal to submit manuscripts. 

Subject Content / Scope

Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) publishes original material related to all aspects of information technology in all types of libraries. For consideration, articles must be related to both technology AND libraries.

Topic areas include, but are not limited to, library automation, digital libraries, metadata, identity management, distributed systems and networks, computer security, intellectual property rights, technical standards, geographic information systems, desktop applications, information discovery tools, web-scale library services, cloud computing, digital preservation, data curation, virtualization, search-engine optimization, emerging technologies, social networking, open data, the semantic web, mobile services and applications, usability, universal access to technology, library consortia, vendor relations, and digital humanities.

Types of Contributions

ITAL publishes both peer-reviewed content (articles and communications) and non-peer-reviewed content in the form of letters to the editor and contributed columns.

Peer Reviewed

  • Articles are original research or comprehensive and in-depth analyses. Although longer works may be considered, manuscripts of 3,000 to 5,000 words are most common.
  • Communications are original brief research reports, technical findings, and application notes. Generally communications are 1,000 to 3,000 words in length.

Letters to the editor may be submitted to the editor for possible inclusion in the journal.

Contributed columns are not peer reviewed. Each column has its own annual call for proposals. For more information, see the Contributed Columns page.

All submissions to the journal must be in the English language.

For more information, view Author Guidelines and About the Journal (particularly the “Scope” section).