Demystifying multilingual LIS journals in Scopus: Languages,coverage,metrics,and implications

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the languages, countries, geographic distribution, and commonly used journal metrics of multilingual Library and Information Science (LIS) journals indexed in Scopus. The Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) portal was used as a proxy for Scopus-indexed LIS journals. Through examination of the homepages of 249 LIS journals listed in SJR, 42 multilingual LIS journals were identified. For this study, multilingual journals were defined as those publishing in a combination of English and other languages. The findings revealed that although English-only journals have historically dominated the field, a significant number of multilingual journals have been indexed in Scopus over the past two decades. The 42 identified multilingual journals span 25 countries and encompass 18 languages, reflecting a diverse linguistic landscape in LIS scholarship. Notably, 67% are Open Access (OA) and affiliated with major publishers, including university presses. Spain and Brazil emerge as key players, accounting for 27% of all identified multilingual journals, highlighting the importance of their regional languages in LIS scholarship. However, the study also uncovered disparities in journal metrics and rankings, with multilingual journals consistently scoring lower than their English-only counterparts. Despite efforts to include regional and local journals in major databases, these results underscore the persistent challenges multilingual publications face in achieving and maintaining Scopus indexing.