Using Journal Impact Factor to Assess Reputation
"There is a pressing need to improve the ways in which the output of scientific research is evaluated by funding agencies, academic institutions, and other parties... The Journal Impact Factor is frequently used as the primary parameter with which to compare the scientific output of individuals and institutions.
"The Journal Impact Factor... was originally created as a tool to help librarians identify journals to purchase, not as a measure of the scientific quality of research in an article.
"With that in mind, it is critical to understand that the Journal Impact Factor has a number of well-documented deficiencies as a tool for research assessment."
To read the full statement and signatories to a set of recommendations, referred to as the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, go here.
Where to find journal & publisher information
Interdisciplinary sources
- Ulrich's WebSearch info on 300,000+ journals, including where indexed and abstracted and whether peer reviewed.
- EndNote Basic Match'Find the Best Fit Journals for your Manuscript'' by searching Match for high-impact journals. Search by your Title/Abstract/References to identify those journals where you may want to submit your article for publication.
Discipline-specific sources
- Cabell's DirectoriesIdentify journals in education technology, educational curriculum & methods, educational psychology & administration, and library science. Access also provided to business disciplines. Includes acceptance rates, impact factors, and typical times to publication.
- MLA Directory of PeriodicalsIdentify journals in literature, literary theory, dramatic arts, folklore, language, linguistics, pedagogy, rhetoric and composition, and the history of printing and publishing. Includes editorial contact information, frequency, circulation, subscription prices and submission guidelines.
Open Access Resources (interdisciplinary; no authentication required)
- Directory of Open Access JournalsIdentify Open Access journals. DOAJ uses a quality control system to guarantee the content.
- JournalTOCsBrowse 73 Subjects covered by JournalTOCs (Table of Contents), a free Current Awareness Service, listing articles from over 20,000 journals.
- SCImago Journal and Country RankUse to identify journals. Publicly available portal that includes journals and country scientific indicators developed from the information contained in the Scopus® database (Elsevier B.V.).
Bloomsburg University Resources (interdiscipinary; authentication required)
- Publication FinderSearch for a specific journal name, or search by subject list for journals held by Andruss Library.
- Databases by A-Z & SubjectBrowse Andruss Library's list of databases by subject or discipline.
Readings on Academic Publishing
The following ebooks are available through Andruss Library (login required)
The following article also requires a login
- Turning your dissertation into a publishable journal article.Tribe, R., & Tunariu, A. D. (2017). Turning your dissertation into a publishable journal article. Psychology of Education Review, 41(2), 22–30.
Acknowledgments
Adapted with permission from Analyzing Scholarly Research, by Aline Soules, University Libraries, California State University East Bay.