Journal impact factors: use and misuse

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Journal impact factors: use and misuseIan RowlandsUniversity LibraryResearch Festival 2014 Research Bytes 3

Journal impact factors

What are journal impact factors?

Where can I find them?

Three common pitfalls

What are journal impact factors?

The journal impact factor 2012 example

papers published in 2010

papers published in 2011

+

The journal impact factor 2012 example

citations accruedduring 2012

papers published in 2010

papers published in 2011

+

÷

The journal impact factor 2012 example

100 citations accrued

during 2012

30 papers published

in 2010

20 papers published

in 2011

+

÷

JIF = 100 citations / 50 papers = 2.0

Where can I find them?

Where can I find them?

Journal Citation Reports

Journal Citation Reports ® Thomson Reuters 2012Immunology subject category

Three common pitfalls

1. Don’t compare IFs across disciplines

Don’t compare IFs across disciplines

History

Economics

Polymer science

Genetics and heredity

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

Mean journal impact factor (2012)

Source: Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports

Don’t compare IFs across disciplines

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Genetics Mathematics

Years after publication

Cita

tions

reci

eved

Don’t compare IFs across disciplines

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Genetics Mathematics

Years after publication

Cita

tions

reci

eved

Three common pitfalls

2. Take the rankings with a pinch of salt

Take the rankings with a pinch of salt

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000-125%

-100%

-75%

-50%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

150%

175%

Journal size (2011 articles)

Mea

n %

cha

nge

in IF

(201

1 on

201

0)

Take the rankings with a pinch of salt

Three common pitfalls

3. Don’t judge an article by its cover

Don’t judge an article by its cover

Don’t judge an article by its cover

top 10% of articles generate 40% of all citations …

Don’t judge an article by its cover

top 10% of articles generate 40% of all citations …

… 82% of articles are `below average’

Don’t judge an article by its cover

top 10% of articles generate 40% of all citations …

… 82% of articles are `below average’

Bill Gates gets on the train …

Don’t judge an article by its cover

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

2.051

49.92654.333

2.076 2.244

Acta Crystallographica Section AJournal impact factor

Summary

• DO use IFs to target influential journals for reading or potential publication

• DON’T compare IFs across disciplines

• DON’T take the rankings too literally

• DON’T confuse journal and article level metrics

• DO apply common sense

www.le.ac.uk/library

TOMORROW Don’t lose credit for your researchIan RowlandsUniversity LibraryResearch Festival 2014 Research Bytes 4Attenborough ATT212, 13:00-13:30

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