The University of South Florida Libraries currently hosts 23 active, open-access academic journals, along with 41 archived journals. Among those 64 publications, GNSI’s Journal of Strategic Security is the #1 downloaded academic journal, with nearly 1.7 million downloads of its articles since USF Libraries began working with the JSS in 2010. GNSI acquired the journal in December of 2023 as part of its overall strategic publishing platform.
Since 2010, 10,600 institutions in 232 countries have downloaded the journal . Since GNSI acquired the journal, the average download rate has increased 58%, with nearly 150,000 downloads across 206 countries in the last 12 months. Google Scholar also ranks the Journal of Strategic Security 18th among all Military Studies journals.
“The topical coverage of the journal is incredibly timely. If you look at the top ten downloads over the past couple of months, there are articles that deal with radicalization, cyber war, cyber security, misinformation and propaganda. Obviously, these topics are part of our world, and JSS is covering them very effectively.”
Todd Chavez, Dean of USF Libraries
Todd Chavez, the Dean of USF Libraries, believes it’s no coincidence that more outside researchers turn to USF's resources to influence their work as USF's academic and research profile continues to prosper. USF was invited to join the Association of American Universities (AAU) last year and is a preeminent research university.
“As the university’s reputation improves and our visibility grows, it’s supported by work like this from GNSI and The Journal of Strategic Security,” Chavez said. “Bringing the information, the great work of our faculty, and, in some cases, the great work of our students to the forefront.”
Easy access to the JSS and other journals included in the USF Libraries' collection plays a key role in their success. Open access is a fundamental component of the Libraries’ strategic mission to provide free access not only to the research community but also to the general public, for whom expensive journals may be out of reach.
“All of that contributes to USF’s reputation and visibility more broadly,” said Chavez. “So it’s less about the numbers and more about the access. It’s more about the market penetration, the geographic distribution and the fact that so many different institutions across the globe are accessing the journal.”
The Journal of Strategic Security will be publishing a special edition in Spring 2025. This special edition will coincide
with a multifaceted research project on Afghanistan that GNSI is currently conducting.
At the same time, the second of a two-part GNSI conference series will be held in
Washington, D.C.
Read the current issue of the Journal of Strategic Security here.