Information Research Weblog

My thanks to Javier Martinez for drawing my attention to the fact that, for 2006, Information Research has moved up two places in the rankings, i.e., from 20th out of 53 to 18th out of 53.

However, the group of journals into which IR fits (Information Science & Library Science) is something of a rag-bag. It includes a number of journals whose first location is in information systems and a couple that are more concerned with communication sciences, so we can remove the following eleven journals (using ISI's abbreviations) as not really constituting 'competitors': INFORM SYST J, INFORM SYST RES, J HEALTH COMMUN, J INF TECHNOL, J MANAGE INFORM SYST, MIS QUART, RES EVALUAT, SCIENTIST, SOC SCI COMPUT REV, SOC SCI INFORM, TELECOMMUN POLICY, and J HEALTH COMMUN.

Of the remaining 42 journals, Information Research then ranks 12th. However, the Impact Factor is an odd measure because when we look at the different fields and different journals we find that it is, at least in part, a measure of what we were taught to call, in classification lectures, the 'extension' of the subject. One finds that 'niche' journals tend to have higher impact factors and, in subjects that are 'niche' subjects the average impact factor tends to be higher than in fields that are more diffuse in character - I'm busy working on a research note to explore this notion further - think of it as a hypothesis for now. The effect of this is that the JIF is not comparing like with like.

In the Information Science & Library Science group there are the following niche journals: COLL RES LIBR, ECONTENT, ELECTRON LIBR, GOV INFORM Q, INFORM SOC, INFORM TECHNOL LIBR, INT J GEOGR INF SCI, INTERLEND DOC SUPPLY, J ACAD LIBR, J AM MED INFORM ASSN, J GOV INFORM, J MED LIBR ASSOC, J SCHOLARLY PUBL, KNOWL ORGAN, LAW LIBR J, LIBR COLLECT ACQUIS, LIBR RESOUR TECH SER, ONLINE, ONLINE INFORM REV, PORTAL-LIBR ACAD, PROGRAM-ELECTRON LIB, REF USER SERV Q, RESTAURATOR and SCIENTOMETRICS. We also have a non-journal serial - ANNU REV INFORM SCI - which, again, has a special role in the field and, because of that role, is likely to have a high impact factor. Removing these 25 journals gives us 17 that we can define as 'general purpose' information science, library science or information management journals.

The 17 journals in rank order by impact factor are: INFORM MANAGE-AMSTER, J AM SOC INF SCI TEC, INFORM PROCESS MANAG, J DOC, LIBR INFORM SCI RES, INFORM RES, J INF SCI, INT J INFORM MANAGE, LIBR TRENDS, LIBR QUART, ASLIB PROC, J LIBR INF SCI, CAN J INFORM LIB SCI, LIBR J, LIBRI, Z BIBL BIBL and LIBR INFORM SC Actually, Library Journal ought not to be in there, since it isn't a research journal on a par with the rest, however, leaving it in, Information Research then ranks 6th.