This special issue will feature a grounded and reflective look at how differences in access and visibility shape the ways people share and build knowledge. Information privilege is the ability of people to access information that others cannot, which may be dictated by affiliation, economic, social, or cultural context. It is an important topic today because discussions on information privilege involve questioning the systems and activities that make knowledge accessible, legitimate, and trustworthy, which in turn is useful in creating a more equitable information environment.

Thus, this special issue will feature stories and reflections from researchers, librarians, educators, and editors about how patterns of information privilege appear in publishing, teaching, and research, and how people are finding ways to make scholarly communication more open and connected. Submissions may discuss various aspects of the scholarly communication cycle, including but not limited to authorship, publishing workflows, research and impact metrics, mentoring, classroom practice, among others. 

Information Matters invites short, accessible essays that explore how people experience information privilege in their work and how they respond to it in creative or constructive ways. Possible guiding questions include:

• How does information privilege influence which research gains attention or credibility?
• How do journals, databases, and metrics affect who gets published or read?
• How do workplaces and cultures shape whose work is shared or valued?
• What can librarians, teachers, and/or editors do to make research and publishing more open?
• How can awareness of information privilege improve our everyday information practices?
• What new, collaborative ways of sharing knowledge are people exploring?