Tag Archives: impact factor

Pride and Prejudice and journal citation distributions

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Stephen

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a researcher in possession of interesting experimental results, must be in want of a journal with a high impact factor. It is also true – and widely understood – that journal impact factors … Continue reading →

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The REF: what is the measure of success?

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Stephen

Science has been extraordinarily successful at taking the measure of the world, but paradoxically the world finds it extraordinarily difficult to take the measure of science — or any type of scholarship for that matter. That is not for want … Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific Life | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Impact factors are clouding our judgement

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Stephen

Nature has an interesting news feature this week on impact factors. Eugenie Samuel Reich’s article — part of a special supplement covering various aspects of the rather ill-defined notion of impact — explores whether publication in journals such as Nature or Science is … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access, Scientific Life | Tagged , | 27 Comments

Impact Factors — Letter to RCUK

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Stephen

Following my post of last week asking RCUK to include in the guidelines on their new open access policy a statement disavowing the use of impact factors in assessing funding applications, I wanted to thank everyone who registered their support. … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Impact factors — RCUK provides a chance to act

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Stephen

If I had more time, this post would be shorter. But it explains how we have an opportunity to get UK research councils to help break the corrosive dependence of researchers on impact factors. Please at least skim all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access | Tagged , , , | 64 Comments

Sick of Impact Factors

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Stephen

I am sick of impact factors and so is science. The impact factor might have started out as a good idea, but its time has come and gone. Conceived by Eugene Garfield in the 1970s as a useful tool for … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access, Science | Tagged , , | 233 Comments