Subjects: Digital Publishing >> Internet Journals Subjects: Library Science，Information Science >> Library Science submitted time 2024-06-25
Abstract： ［ Purposes］This study aims to explore the dynamic trend of the number of journal papers and impact factors in the past five years from different dimensions and investigate the impact of the increase of the paper quantity on impact factors and the Journal Citation Indicator (JCI). ［Methods］From the Web of Science (WoS) database, 8094 journals continuously indexed by Science Citation Index (SCI) from 2018—2022 were chosen as the research subjects. We conducted statistical analysis and comparison of the paper quantity and impact factors across these five years. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship among the paper quantity, impact factors, and JCI across the five years.［ Findings］The total quantity of papers published annually is on the rise, while the number of journals that primarily experience an increase in paper quantity is less than that with a decrease. The overall trend for the annual average impact factors is upward, with a significantly higher number of journals reporting an increase in impact factors compared to those with a decrease. In various countries and regions and across different disciplines, the greatest increase in both the paper quantity and impact factors occurred in 2020, with the first decline observed in 2022 over the past five years. China’s journals have consistently shown robust growth in both paper quantity and impact factors. Among journals with increased paper quantity, there are more journals with an increase in impact factors than those with a decrease, but the situation is reversed for the JCI. The increase in journal paper quantity does not have a statistically significant correlation with changes in impact factors and JCI (P>0.05).［Conclusions］The variations in the annual total paper quantity are markedly inconsistent with the changes in the paper quantity across individual journals. The annual increase in the impact factors shows a high degree of consistency with the year-on-year changes in the JIF of each journal. In recent years, there has been a steady enhancement in both the quantity and quality of papers published in China’s SCI journals. There is no correlation between the paper quantity and the JIF, and the attempt to raise the JIF by reducing the paper quantity lacks scientific
validity.
Subjects: Digital Publishing >> Internet Journals Subjects: Library Science，Information Science >> Information Science submitted time 2024-05-28
Abstract： Purposes The four updates of Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing from 2013 to 2022 are nurtured in the context of global open science publishing, and may shed insight on the development for academic journals in China. Methods The first to the fourth versions of the principles were obtained through the website of Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA). Taking individual principle as a unit of analysis, a longitudinal comparison of the principle details were compared to systematically reveal their differences and development over time. Focusing on the principles of the lasted version which were analyzed in the article, suggestions for the development of academic journals in China were summarized. Findings From 2013 to 2022, four versions of the principles were published, aiming to ensure the quality and credibility of academic research by improving the transparency of academic publishing. Compared with previous versions, the fourth version provided more detailed instructions on how to achieve transparency and best practices focusing on 16 principles pertaining to four dimensions: journal content, journal practices, organization, and business practices, with considerations of the practices achievable by journals in different disciplines, regions, and scales, to cope with the challenges by open science. Conclusions The principles would be helpful for the improvement of China’s academic publishing transparency and ensure the quality and credibility of China’s academic research. Chinese academic journals should increase awareness and participation in open science movement, work on network security maintenance and website information transparency, clearly describe copyright and licensing information in journal policies to protect intellectual property rights, and safeguard editorial independence to ensure academic value.
Hits
YES
Hits
Downloads
Comment