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Who is the 'Journal Grand Master'? A new ranking based on the Elo rating system

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  • Robert Lehmann
  • Klaus Wohlrabe

Abstract

In this paper we transfer the Elo rating system, which is widely accepted in chess, sports and other disciplines, to rank scientific journals. The advantage of the Elo system is the explicit consideration of the factor time or the history of a journal’s performance. Most other rankings that are commonly applied neglect this fact. The Elo ranking approach can easily be applied to any metric, published on a regular basis, to rank journals. We illustrate the approach using the SNIP indicator based on citation data from Scopus. Our balanced panel consists of 7,748 journals from many scientific fields for the period from 1999 to 2015. We show that the Elo approach produces a similar but not identical ranking compared to other rankings based on the SNIP. Especially the rank order for rather ’middle-class’ journals can tremendously change.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Lehmann & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2016. "Who is the 'Journal Grand Master'? A new ranking based on the Elo rating system," CESifo Working Paper Series 6259, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_6259
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Maria Bolsinova & Gunter Maris & Abe D. Hofman & Han L. J. van der Maas & Matthieu J. S. Brinkhuis, 2022. "Urnings: A new method for tracking dynamically changing parameters in paired comparison systems," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 71(1), pages 91-118, January.
    2. Robert Lehmann & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2017. "An Elo ranking for economics journals," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 37(4), pages 2282-2291.
    3. Benjamin M. Abdel-Karim & Nicolas Pfeuffer & Oliver Hinz, 2021. "Machine learning in information systems - a bibliographic review and open research issues," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 31(3), pages 643-670, September.
    4. Brad R. Humphreys & Amir B. Ferreira Neto, 2020. "Localization Economies and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Football Teams in Sao Paulo, Brazil," Working Papers 20-09, Department of Economics, West Virginia University.
    5. Yamini Nekkanti & Dibyojyoti Bhattacharjee, 2020. "Novel Performance Metrics to Evaluate the Duel Between a Batsman and a Bowler," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 45(2), pages 201-211, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Elo rating system; journal rankings; SNIP;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics

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