Guarding Digital Government Publication Channels – Mission, Practice, Insights

The digital government research community has developed several publication channels, including journals and conference series to evaluate, refine, and present the outcomes of its work to fellow researchers and the world. Developing and sustaining such channels requires institutional backing with sufficient financial, organizational, and communication capacity. Existing publication channels implement diverse institutional arrangements from commercial publishers and universities to international and non-profit organizations. However, besides institutional support, a key role in operating such channels are journal editors-in-chief and conference program chairs, who link the channels to the research community that supplies them with steady streams of research, and ensure that the channels maintain their relevance to the changing digital government field, ensure the quality of accepted publications, and contribute to the advancement of the field. This paper examines the evolving landscape of publication channels for digital government research, institutional arrangements for developing and sustaining such channels, and the role of the guardians of such channels – editors-in-chief and program chairs. The paper provides the context for a discussion among such guardians on the insights for publishing digital government research.