Reflecting on 12 Years: Strategic Insights from JISTaP’s Development in the Evolving Asian LIS Publishing Ecosystem

The current state of scholarly publishing is marked by the dominance of commercial publishers, the expansion of open access (OA) models, and the persistent challenges faced by independent, non-commercial journals. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the 12-year developmental course of the Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice (JISTaP), analyzing how an Asia-based library and information science journal with global aspirations has navigated academic publishing challenges. By tracing four distinct developmental epochs from 2013 to the present, the research explores its adaptation strategies, institutional support mechanisms, and bibliometric performance. An analysis of publication trends and citation patterns revealed significant growth, with steady increases in submissions and published articles despite systemic challenges for independent journals. A strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats analysis identified JISTaP’s key strengths, including robust institutional support from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) and an innovative OA model. However, critical challenges remain, such as limited Social Sciences Citation Index visibility and modest citation impact. The findings illuminate external pressures confronting non-commercial scholarly journals, including predatory publishing threats, technological disruptions, and the emerging complexities of AI-driven editorial systems. This research presents JISTaP’s 12-year trajectory as a critical case study of how a scholarly journal from an underrepresented region can strategically navigate global scholarly communication barriers, demonstrating that success lies in reimagining academic influence through institutional support, digital innovation, and a commitment to OA principles that transcend commercial publishing constraints.