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The journal relative impact: an indicator for journal assessment

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Abstract

This paper presents the journal relative impact (JRI), an indicator for scientific evaluation of journals. The JRI considers in its calculation the different culture of citations presented by the Web of Science subject categories. The JRI is calculated considering a variable citation window. This citation window is defined taking into account the time required by each subject category for the maturation of citations. The type of document considered in each subject category depends on its outputs in relation to the citations. The scientific performance of each journal in relation to each subject category that it belongs to is considered allowing the comparison of the scientific performance of journals from different fields. The results obtained show that the JRI can be used for the assessment of the scientific performance of a given journal and that the SJR and SNIP should be used to complement the information provided by the JRI. The JRI presents good features as stability over time and predictability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. REQUIMTE/Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal

    Elizabeth S. Vieira & José A. N. F. Gomes

  2. REQUIMTE/Departamento Engenharia Industrial e Gestão, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    Elizabeth S. Vieira

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  1. Elizabeth S. Vieira
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  2. José A. N. F. Gomes
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Correspondence to José A. N. F. Gomes.

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Vieira, E.S., Gomes, J.A.N.F. The journal relative impact: an indicator for journal assessment. Scientometrics 89, 631–651 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0469-8

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