Impact factors and the competitive nature of journal publishing

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EDITORIALImpact factors and the competitive nature of journal publishingDavid R. Harder, David R. Harder 1 American Journal of Physiology, EditorPublished Online:01 Aug 2000https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.2000.279.2.H457MoreSectionsPDF (42 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail Several years ago the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) established the “impact factor” as an interesting way to compare journals by the number of times their articles are cited elsewhere. Although even those at ISI will contest that this is only one criterion that should be reviewed when discussing the quality of a journal [H. Atkins, personal communication], it has become an important benchmark by which journals are compared. Journal impact factors are published every year and basically reflect the number of citations to that journal in the previous 2 years in relation to the number of articles published by that journal (i.e., the 1998 impact factor for any journal is calculated by dividing the number of citations to articles published in 1996–1997 that appear in 1998 articles divided by the number of papers published in 1996–1997). Thus highly cited articles will increase the impact factor of a journal, and journals that publish a lot of articles need to publish many highly cited articles to keep the proportion (essentially, the impact factor) high. AJP-Heart & Circulation is an excellent journal, and it is not our intention to focus entirely on competing with other journals; however, we cannot ignore impact factors either. Currently, rank and tenure committees, departmental funding, and other decisions are including the impact factor of the journals in which faculty publish as a part of the equation in making decisions.What can we do? We can continue to strive to make AJP-Heart & Circulation the premiere cardiovascular journal in the world. In this regard, we will do the following: 1) publish more short, focused review articles; 2) continue the Special Topic calls; 3) put more emphasis on translational reviews to expand our reader base into more traditional medical communities; and 4) publish only high-quality articles. To stimulate more submissions and increase the pool of manuscripts to accept from, we must make known what is attractive about publishing in AJP-Heart & Circulation. Currently, we are one of only a few cardiovascular journals that have no page limit on manuscripts, thereby allowing publication of “complete works.” Within a few months, the peer review of AJP-Heart & Circulation will become completely electronic, which will speed up the review process. APS is also exploring ways to publish articles online upon acceptance, essentially eliminating the delay between acceptance and the ability to be cited. We will also be changing the figure on the cover every month to highlight important or interesting research found in that issue.The nature of AJP journals is to publish complete works, while leaving room for breaking findings. This and the changes outlined above will enhance the quality of AJP-Heart & Circulation – the purpose of such is evolution. The fallout will be an increase in our impact factor as well. In addition, we occasionally add Associate Editors and Editorial Board Members to meet the changing needs of our readership.This article has no references to display. Back to Top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedInformationCited ByHow to increase the Impact Factor of a Scientific Journal?1 January 2015 | Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 9, No. 4Neuronal nitric oxide synthase-derived hydrogen peroxide is a major endothelium-dependent relaxing factorL. S. A. Capettini, S. F. Cortes, M. A. Gomes, G. A. B. Silva, J. L. Pesquero, M. J. Lopes, M. M. Teixeira, and V. S. Lemos1 December 2008 | American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol. 295, No. 6Impact Factor, Impact, and Smoke and MirrorsAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol. 171, No. 4Impact Factor and the JournalAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol. 168, No. 6Academic anesthesiologists’ views on the importance of the impact factor of scientific journals: a North American and European surveyCanadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie, Vol. 48, No. 10 More from this issue > Volume 279Issue 2August 2000Pages H457-H458 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 the American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.2000.279.2.H457History Published online 1 August 2000 Published in print 1 August 2000 PDF download Metrics Downloaded 171 times