Growth dynamics of scholarly and scientific journals

Results are presented on journal growth dynamics at both the micro and macro levels, showing that journal development clearly follows researcher behaviour and growth characteristics. At the subject discipline level, the journal system is highly responsive to research events. Overall journal growth characteristics clearly show the predominance of 3.3% compound annual growth under a number of different socio-political climates. It is proposed that this represents a lower limit to journal growth rates and that this growth is the outcome of a self-organizing information system that reflects on the growth and specialization of knowledge. Potential models are suggested which could form attractive theoretical further lines of enquiry.