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Scholarly Publishing : Journal Metrics

This guide points users to information on academic publishing, covering topics such as measuring journal impact and quality, the peer review process, selecting the appropriate journal for publication, and more.

Journal Metrics Overview

Scholars utilize journal metrics as a tool for evaluating the influence of a specific journal within a particular academic domain. Authors might also look at journal metrics to decide where to publish their academic work.

When analyzing journal metrics, it's important to compare similar metrics within a specific discipline, as metrics can differ significantly across academic fields.

This chart was adapted from the Publication Metrics guide at California State University, Dominguez Hills which was licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It has been adapted by Georgette Nicolosi.

H-Index

The h-Index is a metric used to assess a researcher's impact by considering both the number of papers they've published and how often those papers have been cited. It's calculated by finding the number of papers (H) that have been cited H times or more. For instance, an h-Index of 30 means the researcher has 30 papers, each cited at least 30 times.

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 Image from Oregon State Libraries under CC-BY-SA 4.0 license

Finding Your h-Index in Google Scholar

1. Go to Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/
2. Enter name of author 
3. If a profile exists for the author it will appear at the top of the search results, click the name of the author and their profile page will open
4. View the h-index for the person on the right side of the screen.

Finding your h-index in Scopus

1. Navigate to University Libraries website: https://library.mst.edu/
2. At the top of the screen, click Databases & E-Resources
3. Next, click the letter "S", scroll down the list of databases and select Scopus
4. Once in Scopus, select Authors, then enter the name, last name first, in the appropriate fields
5. Click the blue Search button to view h-index
6. Select the correct author if multiple appear. This can be determined further by university affiliation, city and country. Then click citation overview to see h-index and information about the author.

Scimango Journal Rankings

The SCImago Journal & Country Rank offers a freely accessible search platform featuring journal indicators and citation details derived from the Scopus database. It categorizes journals by major thematic areas, subject categories, and country, allowing for comparative analysis or individual scrutiny. Access to this data is also available directly through the Scopus database.

In Scopus, select "Sources," in the top right corner to compare publications.

Cite Score

CiteScore is an Elsevier product that was released in 2016. As it is powered using Scopus data, we have free access to it through our campus subscription to Scopus.

Indexing Databases

Indexing Databases

  • Web of Science: Provides access to multiple databases that pull data from academic journals and other documents; multidisciplinary
  • Scopus: Similar to Web of Science, but actually provides more journals and a wider range of metrics than WoS, as well as open access content.
  • PubMed: PubMed comprises more than 36 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.

Keep in mind that S&T only subscribes to Scopus and PubMed Central - we do not have access to Web of Science.

Significance of Journal Inclusion in Indexing Databases

  • Enhances visibility: Inclusion in these databases increases a journal's visibility among researchers and scholars.
  • Credibility & Quality Assurance: Indexing in one of the three indexing databases indicates that a journal meets certain quality and ethical standards.
  • Global Reach: Indexed journals are accessible internationally, broadening the audience and potential impact of published research.