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How representative is the journal impact factor?

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  • Per O Seglen

Abstract

The journal impact factor (the mean citedness of a journal's articles) is a characteristic journal property that stays relatively constant over time. However, within each journal the citedness of the individual articles form an extremely skewed distribution, regardless of journal impact. The journal impact factor is, therefore, not representative of the individual article, and cannot be used as a proxy measure of article citedness except when large (50–100 articles), random samples of articles are pooled. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Suggested Citation

  • Per O Seglen, 1992. "How representative is the journal impact factor?," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 2(3), pages 143-149, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rseval:v:2:y:1992:i:3:p:143-149
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rev/2.3.143
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    Cited by:

    1. Antonia Ferrer-Sapena & Susana Díaz-Novillo & Enrique A. Sánchez-Pérez, 2017. "Measuring Time-Dynamics and Time-Stability of Journal Rankings in Mathematics and Physics by Means of Fractional p -Variations," Publications, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-14, September.
    2. Emanuela Reale & Anna Barbara & Antonio Costantini, 2006. "Peer review for the evaluation of the academic research: the Italian experience," CERIS Working Paper 200615, CNR-IRCrES Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth - Torino (TO) ITALY - former Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth - Moncalieri (TO) ITALY.
    3. Mario Calderini & Chiara Franzoni, 2004. "Is academic patenting detrimental to high quality research? An empirical analysis of the relationship between scientific careers and patent applications," KITeS Working Papers 162, KITeS, Centre for Knowledge, Internationalization and Technology Studies, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy, revised Oct 2004.
    4. Judith Licea De Arenas & Heriberta Castańos-Lomnitz & Judith Arenas Licea, 2002. "Significant Mexican research in the health sciences: A bibliometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 53(1), pages 39-48, January.
    5. McAleer, M.J. & Oláh, J. & Popp, J., 2018. "Pros and Cons of the Impact Factor in a Rapidly Changing Digital World," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI2018-11, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    6. Franceschini, Fiorenzo & Maisano, Domenico, 2010. "The Hirsch spectrum: A novel tool for analyzing scientific journals," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 64-73.
    7. Jerome K. Vanclay, 2012. "Impact factor: outdated artefact or stepping-stone to journal certification?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 92(2), pages 211-238, August.
    8. Stephen J. Bensman, 2012. "The impact factor: its place in Garfield’s thought, in science evaluation, and in library collection management," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 92(2), pages 263-275, August.
    9. Yongli Li & Guijie Zhang & Yuqiang Feng & Chong Wu, 2015. "An entropy-based social network community detecting method and its application to scientometrics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(1), pages 1003-1017, January.
    10. Maria Bordons & M. T. Fernández & Isabel Gómez, 2002. "Advantages and limitations in the use of impact factor measures for the assessment of research performance," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 53(2), pages 195-206, February.
    11. Tibor Braun & Ildikó Dióspatonyi & Sándor Zsindely & Erika Zádor, 2007. "Gatekeeper index versus impact factor of science journals," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 71(3), pages 541-543, June.
    12. Vanclay, Jerome K., 2013. "Factors affecting citation rates in environmental science," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 265-271.

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