COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES FOR REPOSITIONING YOUR JOURNAL Diana L. Pesek Journals Manager April 9, 2013

PSUP JOURNAL PROGRAM In 2011, PSUP published 13 journals In 2013, PSUP will publish 30 journals

REVIEW OF JOURNAL PROGRAM Journals Publishing On Time Journals Not Publishing On Time Reasons Consequences

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY History 1946 – Journal started by State University of Iowa 1949 – Acquired by The University of Chicago Press 1961 – Acquired by Penn State University Press

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Journal Characteristics Respected journal in the field of higher education Good subscriber retention On time publication 10% acceptance rate – attracted submissions from senior faculty

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Changes in the Journal Started publishing erratically No longer attracted appropriate submissions Focus of articles too narrow Where junior faculty published Subscriber base started to erode Older articles accessed more frequently

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Questions Why didn’t the journal publish on time? Was late publication attracting the wrong type of manuscripts? Did lateness cause the journal to have too many rejections and not enough acceptances? Was the editor contributing to the problem?

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Process 2011 – PSUP Co-sponsored a Colloquium Invited thought leaders in the field of higher education from around the country Day 1 devoted to general discussions of the field of higher education – current and future trends Day 2 devoted to analyzing the Journal Mission Strategy to attract appropriate content Suggestions for new editor and editorial board

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Next Steps Appointed new editor and editorial board Updated Mission Statement Editor prepared to invite content for 18 months

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Branding New Cover Design New Text Design Designed Editor Business Cards Updated Website and Editorial Manager with new Design New Marketing Promotional Materials

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Publicity News Release NewsWise Chronicle of Higher Education Mailing List Future Contributors Advisory Board Department Heads University Presidents, Provosts, Deans, Assistant Deans, Administrators Association Presidents and Executive Directors Political Personnel Media Personnel

REPOSITIONING CASE STUDY Marketing Mail Hard Copy – included press release Exchange Ads Ads in PSUP print journals Ads on JSTOR Conference Exhibits