Nontraditional Approaches to Assessing Journal Importance: Case Study of Russian Journals on Earth Sciences

Abstract

Currently, a broad set of bibliometric indices for evaluation of journal quality, the level of its internationalization, and interactions between serials are available. However, some cases require one to obtain more precise methods to assess journals, e.g., when estimating new journals, selecting them into international citation databases, increasing their rank, broadening their readership, or optimizing editorial policy. To cope with new challenges, new approaches have been introduced including altmetrics and various analyses of editorial board composition and impact. Analyzing altmetrics and studying geographic diversity on editorial boards, comparing these data with that of journal authors, and evaluating research efficiency of editorial board members enables one to use new approaches to assess the rank of serials. This paper considers current research reports on altmetrics, geographic diversity, and publication activity of editorial board members of top journals on Earth Sciences published in the Russian Federation and recognized as international serials. It was found that such altmetrics as abstract views, full text views, and a number of viewed papers are now available as additional metrics to evaluate journal quality. Furthermore, provided that the data on altmetrics are complete, they can be considered as a specific predictor for future citations and other citation-based indices. Editorial board analyses demonstrate a correlation of bibliometric indices of editorial board members with that of a journal. As for geographic diversity, only half of the analyzed journals demonstrate a strong correlation between the number of foreign members on editorial boards and geographic representativeness of a journal, mainly due to the local nature of geosciences and trade secret mode in much of mining research. Generally, the obtained findings highlighted the efficiency of new approaches to evaluate journal quality both in the case of the absence of citation-based journal metrics and as an additional tool to traditional indices.     

Open Access Mandates and Policies: The Basics

Abstract

Universities can afford to subscribe to only a small percentage of available scholarly journals. Consequently, researchers do not have access to all articles in journals pertinent to their fields of study. The Open Access (OA) movement began in response to wanting to find a solution to this “serials crisis” and the availability of the Internet to disseminate scholarly research in new and innovative ways to a larger, worldwide audience. OA mandates are policies adopted by research institutions, universities, or funders that require researchers to provide free, unrestricted access to their published research by publishing in OA journals, depositing their articles in an OA repository or both. This edition of “In Lay Terms” provides basic information about OA mandates and policies, gives an overview of university and funder OA mandates, discusses geographic differences in policies and compliance rates, and reviews United States federal funding agencies’ OA policies and Plan S.     

The Standards Mantra

Abstract

The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL) and Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) are programs that will provide low-income countries with access to agricultural journal literature that advances their agricultural research and education objectives. Developed by Cornell University’s Mann Library and launched in 1999, TEEAL is a self-contained agricultural research library with full-text articles and graphics of 140 major journals related to agriculture from 1993 through 2003, stored and indexed on over 400 CD-ROMs. In mid-2005, most of the collection also became available for use over local area networks. Launched in October 2003, AGORA is an Internet-based journal delivery system led by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with Mann Library as a principal partner. AGORA offers almost 800 journals from twenty-seven international publishers to 113 low-income countries and territories for free or a nominal fee.     

Bibliometrics: Understanding Author-, Article- and Journal-Level Metrics

ABSTRACT

Numerous types of metrics are available to assist in the evaluation of scholarship. The focus for this column of In Lay Terms is bibliometrics, the quantitative analysis of publication data using article-, author-, and journal-level data. Citation analysis is the most commonly used bibliometric method. It includes analyzing the number of articles published by an author, the number of citations from those articles, and the ranking of the journals in which those articles were published. This column compares bibliometrics found in Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar and considers the relationship of these metrics to the field of library and information science.     

Newsletters for Networks

Abstract

In the previous installment of this column, Donnice Cochenour wrote about Project Muse, Johns Hopkins University Press's project to provide electronic access to its journals. This column will explore OCLC's collaboration with publishers who are making traditional print publications available electronically. Serials Review interviewed Andrea Keyhani, Manager of Electronic Publishing at OCLC, about traditional print publishers' interests in electronic distribution of journals, OCLC's solution to publishers' migration to electronic distribution, enhancements to their Guidon software, and libraries' costs and archive concerns.     

Managing Perpetual Access

ABSTRACT

Libraries are committed to long-term access to the scholarly record in published journals. The transition from print to online format has presented numerous challenges for libraries. While many publishers provide some form of post-cancellation or perpetual access to subscribed journals, libraries sometimes find it difficult to ensure that access is available to users. Language regarding perpetual access can be vague in the license agreements libraries sign with publishers. Even when perpetual access is available, libraries may lack the staff, tools, or workflows needed to review and confirm access. Examples of how libraries have addressed these challenges are provided.     

Electronic Access to Agricultural Journals: An Agronomy Case Study

Abstract

This study examines the electronic availability of agronomy journals at eight ARL (Association of Research Libraries) member institutions with doctoral programs in agronomy. Of the forty-seven journals examined, twelve were not available electronically at any of the institutions. On average, institutions provided access to thirty of the titles, with twenty-seven of these being unembargoed. In terms of depth of access, much of the older literature which is important to the agricultural sciences was not available electronically. Librarians can use these results to communicate to researchers the importance of not relying solely on electronically available research materials.     

Journal Access Initiatives: Where Are They? Why the World Health Organization? and What Is HINARI?

Abstract

The move from print to online journal publishing has allowed the proliferation of journal access programs aimed at poor countries. These programs offer access to online journals on very favorable terms to developing country institutions and readers and are based on the premise that developing world scientists can contribute significantly to ameliorating the conditions of life in their countries. The authors give a brief overview of the environment in which these programs emerged, discuss different orientations of the major programs, examine the case of the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI), consider why the World Health Organization (WHO) runs a journal access program for developing countries, and conclude with the accomplishments of HINARI.     

Developing Nations,the Digital Divide and Research Databases

Abstract

The digital divide affects many nations of the developing world. The term encompasses inadequate funding, a lack of necessary computer and Internet skills, and a lack of English-language proficiency that hinder expansion and use of digital information resources. Visionary individuals and organizations can assist these countries with their information needs. Aggregated full-text databases serve as a prominent tool in closing the digital divide because they provide important research resources. Participating organizations must demonstrate the value of these resources to users and supply essential training to ensure success with electronic resource initiatives.     

The 5K Run Toolkit: A Quick,Painless, and Thoughtful Approach to Managing Print Journal Backruns

Abstract

Increasingly, academic libraries are choosing to discard or place in storage print journals that are now available online. The identification of these titles and related collection analysis activities are often time-intensive. The approach at the University of Saskatchewan Library was to develop an online toolkit that combined available data from disparate sources including the integrated library system, SFX link resolver, and OCLC's WorldCat and then present them in a collaborative open source environment. This paper demonstrates how the careful combination of existing data presented in a simple online format allowed subject specialists to make accurate print journal deselection decisions quickly and painlessly.     

Seeking Philosophy Journals on the Web

Abstract

Allan Scherlen introduces us to the elusive world of free, online, peer-reviewed journals in philosophy. He argues that free e-journals, although often well respected among specialists within the field, can paradoxically be obscured from library researchers because of poor representation in established indexes and directories. He evaluates three such e-journals in terms of their history, scope, design, navigation, and archiving. Serials Review 2002; 28:225–231.     

British Publications of Note on Serials

Abstract

Three years ago, the Gold and Green Roads to Open Access were viewed as complementary strategies, with repositories having the potential of gradually behaving more like journals, and vice versa. Since then, repositories and journals have been progressing on parallel tracks. Re-examining the situation, the reasoning suggested in 2004 appears still valid. Simultaneously, a knowledge economy has made of science a strategic resource. The developing world is essentially invited to contribute to world science with little or no regard to the development of an autonomous scientific capacity. Open Access, in this context, takes a new meaning with one objective to help development of local and autonomous scientific capacity. However, to do so, mixing and matching repositories with journals is needed. Brazil exemplifies this type of development and shows how the Green and Gold roads can mix and match.     

Smithsonian

Abstract

To provide bibliometric evidence for Chinese medical journals to be considered for the evaluation system of core journals, the authors have undertaken a comparative study on bibliometric characteristics between Chinese core journals and common journals (journals not included in A Guide to the Core Journals of China). There are 203 Chinese medical core journals and 440 Chinese common journals. Impact factor, ratio of articles supported with funding sources (foundation), total yearly pages and average article length of core journals are significantly higher than those of common journals in China. Medical editors can take effective measures to improve academic levels and journal impact by considering factors from this study, such as having a proper and short publication cycle, increasing the impact factor, concentrating on articles with foundation support, publishing more high-impact papers, increasing substantive content and publishing more articles with abstracts.     

Constructing an Accounting Journal Website

Abstract

To increase the effectiveness and efficiency of searches for information, accounting students, researchers, practitioners, and regulators could benefit from a Website devoted to the electronic access to journals. The site described here addresses such a need in the business discipline of accounting. On the site, the titles of over 470 journals are listed and categorized by topical areas within accounting. Then, within each accounting category, the journals are grouped according to their Internet accessibility. To provide the user with quick access to the various journals, the site provides links to the homepages of the various journals. Serials Review 2002; 28:201–205.