[pakgrid] Impact Factors: Use & Abuse

 

An interesting article albeit a few years old, on the use of journal
impact factors (IF):

http://www.elsevier.com/framework_editors/pdfs/Perspectives1.pdf

While evaluating the performance of researchers through IF, care should
be exercised in comparing across disciplines. The article does refer to
the variation in IF means across different subject fields and describes
a number of reasons for it as well. However, it does not address the
variation owing to the age of a subject field and the nature of
advances, which can off shoot into sub disciplines very rapidly. Modern
interdisciplinary research adds to this complication. The IF of journals
in a field also tend to build up over time. Researchers in emerging
disciplines can well relate to this pain.

Applying the measure of journal IF to authors should also be treated
with caution. Finally, a food for thought: alternate indicators such as
H-Index may also be considered.

--
Hameedullah Kazi, PhD
Pro-Vice Chancellor, Engineering & Management Sciences
Isra University, Hyderabad, Pakistan
+92-22-2030181 (-85)
http://www.isra.edu.pk

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