Dominy, NJ "Publication and citation trends in the International Journal of Primatology: 1980-2003" INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, 25 (4): 751-754 AUG 2004
Eugene Garfield
garfield at CODEX.CIS.UPENN.EDU
Wed Oct 6 16:56:08 EDT 2004
N. Dominy : njdominy at uchicago.edu
The author has provided a full-text version of the following article.
Author(s): Dominy, NJ
Title: Publication and citation trends in the
International Journal of Primatology: 1980-2003
Source: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, 25 (4): 751-754 AUG 2004
Language: English Document Type: Editorial Material
Addresses: Univ Chicago, Dept Ecol & Evolut, Chicago, IL 60637 USA
Reprint Address: Dominy, NJ, Univ Chicago, Dept Ecol & Evolut, 1101 E 57th
St, Chicago, IL 60637 USA.
Cited References:
ALTMANN J, 1974, BEHAVIOUR, V49, P227.
ANDERSON A, 1991, SCIENCE, V252, P639.
DOYLE GA, 1980, INT J PRIMATOL, V1, P1.
FRANCK G, 1999, SCIENCE, V286, P53.
POPPER KR, 1992, LOGIC SCI DISCOVERY, P479.
TAUBES G, 1993, SCIENCE, V260, P884.
TUTTLE RH, 1989, INT J PRIMATOL, V10, P267.
TUTTLE RH, 1998, INT J PRIMATOL, V19, P1.
Cited Reference Count: 8
Times Cited: 0
Publisher: KLUWER ACADEMIC/PLENUM PUBL
Publisher Address: 233 SPRING ST, NEW YORK, NY 10013 USA
ISSN: 0164-0291
ISI Document Delivery No.: 824DW
FULL TEXT OF EDITORIAL
Guest Editorial
Publication and Citation Trends in the International Journal of Primatology:
1980-2003
The present volume of the International Journal of Primatology is a
milestone; it is the twenty-fifth since the journal’s inauguration. To
commemorate the occasion, I comment here on the origin, aims, and
publication trends of IJP between 1980 and 2003. A remarkable consistency of
vision and diversity is evident in the 934 published articles.
Proposals to create the International Journal of Primatology were made in
1976 during the 6th Congress of the International Primatological Society in
Cambridge, England. The objectives were: (1) to meet demand for an
additional refereed journal devoted to basic primatology; and, (2) to create
an official vehicle for the International Primatological Society. A third
explicit aim was the promotion of primate conservation (Doyle and Cartmill,
1980). In this spirit, IJP has enjoyed considerable success (Figure 1).
Since 1980, the journal has grown steadily; expanding from four issues a
year to six in 1984, and increasing page allocations in 1993 and 1995.
Volume 24 is the largest to date, exceeding 1,350 pages.
In 1989, founding editors Gerald A. Doyle and Matt Cartmill entrusted IJP
editorship to Russell H. Tuttle. He reiterated the journal’s commitment to
“sharing knowledge about all aspects of primate biology and the conservation
of primates and their habitats” (Tuttle, 1989:267). Tuttle emphasized the
importance of studying free-ranging primates and encouraged submissions on
diverse aspects of primatology, including systematics, comparative
psychology, paleobiology, functional and comparative morphology, molecular
biology, neuroscience, endocrinology, growth and development, captive
maintenance, and other topics of general interest.
Interestingly, the most cited papers from IJP reflect this sustained vision.
Top-cited articles examine the morphology, socioecology, and habitats of
primates (Table I). Furthermore, it is a fitting testament that an article
with conservation implications is among the most cited; IJP has always
sought to increase sensitivity to the plight of primates. Since 1989,
articles on endangered or threatened species have been flagged with an icon
furnished by Elwyn L. Simons and Stephen Nash. Regrettably, the aye-aye
proclaiming VIVAMUS (‘we will live!’) is a prominent emblem on most IJP
articles.
To further serve the science of primates and their conservation, IJP is
committed to improving its international presence (Tuttle, 1998). Happily,
contributions from Latin America have increased significantly over the past
decade (Figure 2). Of course, many scientists from habitat countries publish
papers from addresses in the Unites States, Canada, or Europe. Accordingly,
Figure 2 is certain to underrepresent the diversity of IJP contributors.
However, it is equally certain that authorship in IJP is far from optimally
international; I am especially hopeful that future volumes will see a
greater input from African scientists.
Finally, it is notable that the impact factor of IJP has been stable since
the metric was calculated in 1998 (Figure 1). Of course, the use of citation
trends as a measure of scientific quality is not without flaws (Anderson,
1991). After all, the output of scientific work consists of information,
which is semantic in nature and thus defies immediate measurement (Franck,
1999). According to Popper (1992) the only legitimate measure of scientific
value are criteria such as consistency, correspondence to facts, range, and
productiveness. Nevertheless, an increasing number of departments and tenure
committees are emphasizing citations to judge a researcher’s worth, as a way
of allocating resources, or awarding tenure (Taubes, 1993). Here I
acknowledge the authors of the most cited articles published in IJP (Table
I) – I make no claim regarding the merit of their work versus that of
others. It is clear, however, that the subject matter reflects the strength
and spirit of the International Journal of Primatology.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank R.H. Tuttle for inviting this editorial and for permitting me access
to every one of his IJP issues. I also thank M.F. Dominy for assisting me
with the finer points of citation analyses.
REFERENCES
Altmann, J. (1974). Observational study of behavior: Sampling methods.
Behaviour 49: 227-267.
Anderson, A. (1991). No citation analyses please, we’re British. Science
252: 639.
Doyle, G.A., and Cartmill, M. (1980). Introductory statement. Int. J.
Primatol. 1: 1-2.
Franck, G. (1999). Scientific communication – A vanity fair? Science 286: 53-55.
Popper, K.R. (1992). The Logic of Scientific Discovery, Routledge, New York,
p. 479.
Taubes, G. (1993). Measure for measure in science. Science 260: 884-886.
Tuttle, R.H. (1989). Inaugural editorial. Int. J. Primatol. 10: 267-268.
Tuttle, R.H. (1998). Global primatology in a new millennium. Int. J.
Primatol. 19: 1-12.
Nathaniel J. Dominy
Department of Ecology and Evolution
University of Chicago
1101 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
Table 1. Most cited publications from the International Journal of
Primatology, 1980-2003.‡
Rank Citations Authors† Title Year Volume:pages
1 97 Sussman, R.W. A new interpretation of the social
Guest Editorial
Publication and Citation Trends in the International Journal of Primatology:
1980-2003
The present volume of the International Journal of Primatology is a
milestone; it is the twenty-fifth since the journal’s inauguration. To
commemorate the occasion, I comment here on the origin, aims, and
publication trends of IJP between 1980 and 2003. A remarkable consistency of
vision and diversity is evident in the 934 published articles.
Proposals to create the International Journal of Primatology were made in
1976 during the 6th Congress of the International Primatological Society in
Cambridge, England. The objectives were: (1) to meet demand for an
additional refereed journal devoted to basic primatology; and, (2) to create
an official vehicle for the International Primatological Society. A third
explicit aim was the promotion of primate conservation (Doyle and Cartmill,
1980). In this spirit, IJP has enjoyed considerable success (Figure 1).
Since 1980, the journal has grown steadily; expanding from four issues a
year to six in 1984, and increasing page allocations in 1993 and 1995.
Volume 24 is the largest to date, exceeding 1,350 pages.
In 1989, founding editors Gerald A. Doyle and Matt Cartmill entrusted IJP
editorship to Russell H. Tuttle. He reiterated the journal’s commitment to
“sharing knowledge about all aspects of primate biology and the conservation
of primates and their habitats” (Tuttle, 1989:267). Tuttle emphasized the
importance of studying free-ranging primates and encouraged submissions on
diverse aspects of primatology, including systematics, comparative
psychology, paleobiology, functional and comparative morphology, molecular
biology, neuroscience, endocrinology, growth and development, captive
maintenance, and other topics of general interest.
Interestingly, the most cited papers from IJP reflect this sustained vision.
Top-cited articles examine the morphology, socioecology, and habitats of
primates (Table I). Furthermore, it is a fitting testament that an article
with conservation implications is among the most cited; IJP has always
sought to increase sensitivity to the plight of primates. Since 1989,
articles on endangered or threatened species have been flagged with an icon
furnished by Elwyn L. Simons and Stephen Nash. Regrettably, the aye-aye
proclaiming VIVAMUS (‘we will live!’) is a prominent emblem on most IJP
articles.
To further serve the science of primates and their conservation, IJP is
committed to improving its international presence (Tuttle, 1998). Happily,
contributions from Latin America have increased significantly over the past
decade (Figure 2). Of course, many scientists from habitat countries publish
papers from addresses in the Unites States, Canada, or Europe. Accordingly,
Figure 2 is certain to underrepresent the diversity of IJP contributors.
However, it is equally certain that authorship in IJP is far from optimally
international; I am especially hopeful that future volumes will see a
greater input from African scientists.
Finally, it is notable that the impact factor of IJP has been stable since
the metric was calculated in 1998 (Figure 1). Of course, the use of citation
trends as a measure of scientific quality is not without flaws (Anderson,
1991). After all, the output of scientific work consists of information,
which is semantic in nature and thus defies immediate measurement (Franck,
1999). According to Popper (1992) the only legitimate measure of scientific
value are criteria such as consistency, correspondence to facts, range, and
productiveness. Nevertheless, an increasing number of departments and tenure
committees are emphasizing citations to judge a researcher’s worth, as a way
of allocating resources, or awarding tenure (Taubes, 1993). Here I
acknowledge the authors of the most cited articles published in IJP (Table
I) – I make no claim regarding the merit of their work versus that of
others. It is clear, however, that the subject matter reflects the strength
and spirit of the International Journal of Primatology.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank R.H. Tuttle for inviting this editorial and for permitting me access
to every one of his IJP issues. I also thank M.F. Dominy for assisting me
with the finer points of citation analyses.
REFERENCES
Altmann, J. (1974). Observational study of behavior: Sampling methods.
Behaviour 49: 227-267.
Anderson, A. (1991). No citation analyses please, we’re British. Science
252: 639.
Doyle, G.A., and Cartmill, M. (1980). Introductory statement. Int. J.
Primatol. 1: 1-2.
Franck, G. (1999). Scientific communication – A vanity fair? Science 286: 53-55.
Popper, K.R. (1992). The Logic of Scientific Discovery, Routledge, New York,
p. 479.
Taubes, G. (1993). Measure for measure in science. Science 260: 884-886.
Tuttle, R.H. (1989). Inaugural editorial. Int. J. Primatol. 10: 267-268.
Tuttle, R.H. (1998). Global primatology in a new millennium. Int. J.
Primatol. 19: 1-12.
Nathaniel J. Dominy
Department of Ecology and Evolution
University of Chicago
1101 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
Table 1. Most cited publications from the International Journal of
Primatology, 1980-2003.‡
Rank Citations Authors† Title Year Volume:pages
1 97 Sussman, R.W. A new interpretation 1987 8:73-92
Garber, P.A. of the social organization
and mating system of the
Callitrichidae.
2 73 Kay, R.F. The ecology of Oligocene
Simons, E.L. African Anthropoidea. 1980 1:21-37
3 68 Johns, A.D. Responses of rain-forest
Skorupa, J.P. primates to habitat
disturbance: A review. 1987 8:157-191
4 67 Moore, J. Female transfer in 1984 5:537-589
primates.
5 66 Conroy, G.C. Problems of body-weight 1987
estimation in fossil primates. 8:115-137
____________________________________________________________________________
‡Altmann (1974) is the most cited article in the journal (162 citations).
†1,256 authors have published in IJP. T. Furuichi, S.J. Suomi, and G.C.
Westergaard have published the most articles (9), while S.P. Henzi, W.D.
Hopkins, M.A. Huffman, J.C. Mitani, and D.P. Watts have each contributed eight.
Figure Legends
Figure 1. Total number research articles published from 1980-2003. Impact
factors are shown for available years (1998-2002). The Institute for
Scientific Information (ISI) impact factor is calculated by dividing all
current year citations to articles published in IJP during the previous two
years. N.B. It will be interesting to see how the surge of articles in 2002
and 2003 will affect this metric.
Figure 2. Pie charts showing the proportion of articles produced from
various geographic regions. Assignment to a region is based on the address
of the corresponding author.
organization and mating system of the Callitrichidae. 1987
8:73-92
2 73 Kay, R.F.Simons, E.L. The ecology of Oligocene African Anthropoidea.
1980 1:21-37
3 68 Johns, A.D.Skorupa, J.P. Responses of rain-forest primates to habitat
disturbance: A review. 1987 8:157-191
4 67 Moore, J. Female transfer in primates. 1984 5:537-589
5 66 Conroy, G.C. Problems of body-weight estimation in fossil primates.
1987 8:115-137
‡Altmann (1974) is the most cited article in the journal (162 citations).
†1,256 authors have published in IJP. T. Furuichi, S.J. Suomi, and G.C.
Westergaard have published the most articles (9), while S.P. Henzi, W.D.
Hopkins, M.A. Huffman, J.C. Mitani, and D.P. Watts have each contributed eight.
Figure Legends
Figure 1. Total number research articles published from 1980-2003. Impact
factors are shown for available years (1998-2002). The Institute for
Scientific Information (ISI) impact factor is calculated by dividing all
current year citations to articles published in IJP during the previous two
years. N.B. It will be interesting to see how the surge of articles in 2002
and 2003 will affect this metric.
Figure 2. Pie charts showing the proportion of articles produced from
various geographic regions. Assignment to a region is based on the address
of the corresponding author.
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