Hundreds of metrics exist to rank, compare and classify journals, articles and authors.
Bibliometrics is statistical analysis of written publications. This statistical analysis is often used to measure the impact of scholarly works.
There are two factors to be aware of: the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and the h-index.
The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is the average number of times articles from the journal published in the past two years have been cited. For example, to calculate the JIF for The Corinthian for the year 2015, we would look at:
The h-index (also called the Hirsch index) is a measure of the productivity and the citation impact of the publications of a particular individual. An individual has index h if h of his or her publications have at least h citations each, and other publications in that field have at most h citations each. To put it mathematically,
Confusing? Yes.
Luckily, there are software programs out there that will calculate the JIF and the h-index for you. Web of Science and Scopus are two of the most popular.
Altmetrics, as opposed to bibliometrics, are non-traditional metrics used as an alternative to the JIF and the h-index. Altmetrics is the statistical analysis of non-traditional works (such as data sets, presentations, and videos) as well as non-traditional measures of impact (such as article views, downloads, and mentions in social media).
There are two software programs that will measure altmetrics: PlumX and Altmetric.
Currently, the library does not license any software to measure either bibliometrics or altmetrics. If a professor asks you to help him or her find their h-index or another impact factor, you have two options:
The value faculty place on peer-reviewed, scholarly, and well-known journals cannot be underestimated. The impetus for their fervor comes from promotion and tenure (P&T) guidelines governing scholarly publishing. For Georgia College, each college has its own P&T criteria, which are in turn in line with Georgia College's P&T policies and procedures. For the College of Arts & Sciences, each department also has its own criteria. Though each college and department defines its criteria differently, they all agree on one thing: in order to successfully achieve tenure and/or promotion, each faculty member must publish in a peer-reviewed journal.
Below are excerpts from each college's P&T criteria as it relates to scholarly publishing.
College of Business
Evidence to support intellectual contribution may include, but is not limited to:
Journal articles must meet each of these requirements:
Refereed and published proceedings are not peer-reviewed journal articles.
College of Health Sciences
College of Education
While peer-reviewed publication is an obvious, undisputed form of scholarly achievement, there are many other ways to remain current and creatively engaged in one’s field. The following forms of scholarly activity are offered as examples to underscore the diversity of worthy endeavors in this area…
College of Arts & Sciences
While peer-reviewed publication is an obvious, undisputed form of scholarly achievement, there are many other ways to remain current and creatively engaged in one’s field. The following forms of scholarly/creative activity are offered as examples to underscore the diversity of worthy endeavors in this area…
Faculty may come to you for assistance in finding a journal in which to publish. It is important to help them not only find a journal, but assess the journal’s quality. Below are some tips on how to do both.
Here are several links to help find a journal in which to publish:
Researchers exploring new topics may be unfamiliar with journals in their new fields. There are several strategies that can help locate high quality journals in each discipline.
Indexing is the process by which a journal is added to a major database, such as those included in Galileo. Many journals include where they are indexed on their website. However, some don’t, and some journal websites are so poorly designed that it is hard to find anything! To find where a journal is indexed, most librarians go to a source called Ulrich’s Periodical Dictionary. The Russell Library does not subscribe to Ulrich’s, however (though there is a paper copy of the 2009 edition located in Reference). The closest resource we have is the EBSCO Serials Directory, available through Galileo. Search for a journal title to find its record. Under “Indexed/Abstracted” you will find where it is indexed. Look for the major databases in the journal’s field – if they are present, it is an indication of the journal’s quality.
For example, here is the entry for the journal CLA:
Acceptance rates (also called rejection rates) are one way to measure the selectivity and popularity of a journal. It is a ratio of the number of articles submitted to the number of articles published. You can find acceptance rates for business journals at Cabell’s Directories of Publishing Opportunities.
For example, here is the entry for the Harvard Business Review:
There are other sources for other disciplines (like Ulrich’s or the MLA Directory of Periodicals), but the library does not subscribe to them. However, many editors will happily provide acceptance rates when emailed directly.
In addition to the criteria listed above, it is important to look for the following:
Many legitimate journals will not meet all of these requirements. However, these are factors you want to look for when evaluating a journal for quality.