A new declaration to improve research assessment practices shoots wide of the mark and reveals some misunderstandings on behalf of many of those involved.
Editorial boycotts and declarations of independence generate a lot of heat, but what do the data say about the actual success of the new journals compared to the journals that were overthrown.
Editors have learned how to exploit a simple loophole in the calculation of the Impact Factor. Is it time to close that loophole?
Recent data from the Guardian suggests that commenting remains a fringe activity, often dominated by a few voices. What might this mean for initiatives based on altmetrics and post-publication review?
The name of a journal extends far beyond what it publishes. United brands (Nature, JAMA, Cell, Science, IEEE, PLoS) create powerful signals in the marketplace. They can also be overextended.
As new metrics are explored, not everything equates to “impact.” Getting our terms right will help us get our thinking straight.
Putting metrics and altmetrics into perspective can help us separate secondary signals from primary signals, and may lead to a greater appreciation of alternatives to metrics, or alt2metrics.
An attempt to entice citations from authors leads to a memorable story for the holidays.
A new study suggests a weakening of the relationship between a journal’s impact factor and the articles published therein. An unorthodox analysis and unwillingness to share data for validation purposes raises serious questions about how seriously to take this study.
Open access publishing is a viable option, with gold OA gaining traction. But concerns remain, and funding is uncertain.
A study of the flow of manuscript submissions reveals a highly structured and efficient network of scientific journals where peer-review plays a critical role in the improvement and slotting of papers.
With the speed of communication today, researchers, authors, and grant funders are impatient to get an indicator of its value. Waiting 1-3 years for publication and citation seems interminable. Conflating an article’s impact with its journals’ impact creates uncertainty, as […]
Fifty-one journals are suspended from the Journal Citation Report for “anomalous citation patterns.” Whether or not you agree with the impact factor, sanctions help maintain the integrity of the scientific publishing enterprise for everyone.
Time for your input for a session at the upcoming SSP Annual Meeting — pose your questions now!
Cheap, effective, and nearly undetectable — editors devise citation cartels to drive up their journal’s impact factor.