Findability, Accessibility and Performance of Open Access Journal Websites in Library and Information Science

Abstract

The revolutionised shift of academic publishing from traditional to modern has encouraged free access to publications. Open Access plays a significant role in facilitating barrier-free intellectual exchange and educational diversity. To ensure free access, websites and online platforms were utilised. This study examines the discoverability, accessibility and performance of open-access Library and Information science (LIS) journals. These aspects for open-access publications are essential for promoting free access and improving research distribution. At present, websites are the primary source of dissemination of information. LIS journal websites also play a crucial role in ensuring the availability of the journal's content. This study evaluates the websites of the LIS journals to assess their findability, accessibility and performance.

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) were used as the data source. All the LIS journals indexed in DOAJ have been extracted and analysed. All the data were tabulated in the Google sheet in an understandable format. We check the journals' websites by simple Google search, and the working websites are archived in the Google sheet for further analysis. The study administered webometric analysis using the webometric tool ‘Google PageSpeed Insights’. This tool provides findability (SEO-Search Engine Optimization), accessibility, performance, and best practices for websites on both mobile and desktop. The study showed many LIS Open-Access journals have findability and accessibility challenges. SEO practices, accessible rich Internet Applications, structured data text alternatives, and metadata contribute to effective and better discoverability and usability. This study is limited to the LIS open-access journals in DOAJ. Additionally, webometric research is limited in its findability, accessibility and performance. This study highlights the current status of OA LIS journals and provides value for the need for accessibility standards, SEO practices, Comprehensive indexing, and integration with emerging technologies. The study's findings shed light on OA journals' online presence and usability, contributing to a more diverse scholarly environment.