ABST:Impact factors

[Gretchen Whitney]

Anniversary year
Shahmanesh M
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
75: (2) 89-89 APR 1999

Sexually Transmitted Infection " is not a journal most citation analysts are
apt to be reading. Formerly called "Genitourinary Medicine"  and before that
" British Journal of Venereology" it  is now 75 years old. The editor of the
journal and author of this editorial is acutely aware of its relatively high
impact factor. As is now fairly common he cites the seemingly polar pair of
papers  published in the British Medical Journal by Eugene Garfield BMJ
313:411-3(1996 ) ":How can impact factors be improved" and
Per O Seglen BMJ 314:498-502 (1997) "Why the impact factor of journals
should not be used for evaluating research".    These two papers  seem to be
the co-citation  core of a growing literature. In his editorial the author
states that the impact factor of his journal continues to grow and provides
a graph. "Despite the various[alleged] shortcomings funding bodies and
policy makers in research are increasingly using this imperfect measure to
influence their decision making." <<...>>        <<...>>          <<...>>



Chairman Emeritus, ISI http://www.isinet.com
Publisher, The Scientist http://www.the-scientist.com
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