Kiyo Bulletins in Japan: Current Status and Issues

Abstract

This paper reports the results of 1) a questionnaire survey of 272 kiyos and 2) complementary indepth interviews with the editors of 11 kiyos. We distinguish kiyos, or bulletins, published by universities, research institutions, and museums, etc. in Japan, from gakkaishi, which are published by academic associations. Of the 97 kiyos that responded to our questionnaire, nearly 90 percent are published with budget from the publishing institution, about 70 percent are published both in print and electronic forms, and roughly 80 percent of the electronic versions are available on institutional repositories. Approximately 80 percent of the kiyos face challenges such as attracting submissions, managing editorial workload, and maintaining reputation. About 60 percent seek external support, including for securing reviewers and publicity. The challenges that kiyos face and the external support they seek varies depending on the nature of the kiyo.