Jones, AW (Jones, Alan Wayne) The distribution of forensic journals, reflections on authorship practices, peer-review and role of the impact factor FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL, 165 (2-3): 115-128 JAN 17 2007

[Eugene Garfield]

E-mail Address: wayne.jones at RMV.SE 

Author(s): Jones, AW (Jones, Alan Wayne) 

Title: The distribution of forensic journals, reflections on authorship 
practices, peer-review and role of the impact factor 

Source: FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL, 165 (2-3): 115-128 JAN 17 2007 

Language: English 

Document Type: Review 

Author Keywords: authorship; bibliometrics; forensic science journals; 
impact factors; peer-review 
Keywords Plus: RESEARCH ASSESSMENT EXERCISE; LEGAL-MEDICINE; BIOMEDICAL-
RESEARCH; SCIENCE; CITATIONS; QUALITY; GATEKEEPERS; PUBLICATION; 
ASSOCIATION; MISCONDUCT 

Abstract: This article presents information about journals specializing in 
the forensic sciences and legal medicine, their development and 
distribution and their cur-rent status as reflected in the journal impact 
factor. The first scientific journal devoted to spreading information and 
reporting new developments in social and legal medicine seemingly 
originated in Germany about 150 years ago. The official journal of the 
American Academy of Forensic Sciences (Journal of Forensic Sciences, JFS) 
was founded in 1956 and has enjoyed 50 years of scholarly publishing. The 
two leading European journals specializing in forensics are Forensic 
Science International (FSI) and International Journal of Legal Medicine 
(IJLM). Besides the size of the circulation, the readership numbers, the 
quality of the editorial staff and the peer-reviewers, the number of 
submitted and accepted manuscripts, considerable interest has focused on 
the journal's impact factor as a measure of prestige. The 2006 impact 
factor of a certain journal is derived by counting the number of citations 
in 2006 to all material published in the journal in the previous 2 years 
(2004 and 2005) and dividing this total by the number of citable items 
(articles and reviews) published in the same 2 years. Impact factors for 
several thousand scientific journals are compiled and published by a 
company called Thomson Institute for Scientific Information (Thomson ISI) 
and are available on-line via the database Journal Citation Reports. 
Forensic journals are grouped within the subject category Medicine, Legal, 
which currently comprises nine journals a few of which are seemingly 
unrelated to mainstream forensics. The top-ranked forensic journal in 
terms of its impact factor was IJLM with a score of just over 2.0 in 2004. 
This means that the average article published in 2003 and 2002 was cited 
twice per year in the 2-year window after publication. Impact factors of 
forensic journals are fairly low in comparison with many other 
disciplines, probably because of the small size of the field, fewer active 
researchers and less pressure to publish. The relatively low impact 
factors of forensic journals should be less of a concern than ensuring 
that manuscripts receive a rigorous and preferably an open peer-review 
prior to acceptance for publication. The information, conclusions and 
opinions published in forensic science journals might one day be proffered 
as evidence in criminal or civil litigation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland 
Ltd. All rights reserved. 

Addresses: Natl Board Forens Med, Dept Forens Chem & Genet, SE-58133 
Linkoping, Sweden; Linkoping Univ Hosp, SE-58185 Linkoping, Sweden 

Reprint Address: Jones, AW, Natl Board Forens Med, Dept Forens Chem & 
Genet, Artillerigatan 12, SE-58133 Linkoping, Sweden. 

E-mail Address: wayne.jones at RMV.SE 

Cited Reference Count: 119 

Times Cited: 4 

Publisher: ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD 

Publisher Address: ELSEVIER HOUSE, BROOKVALE PLAZA, EAST PARK SHANNON, CO, 
CLARE, 00000, IRELAND 

ISSN: 0379-0738 

29-char Source Abbrev.: FORENSIC SCI INT 

ISO Source Abbrev.: Forensic Sci.Int. 

Source Item Page Count: 14 

Subject Category: Medicine, Legal 

ISI Document Delivery No.: 135LW 


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