General Information for COEHS Faculty

Why assess journal quality?

• Professors need to make qualified decisions when selecting journals to publish their research.
• College and University Tenture Committees use the information when evaluating quality research and publications.

Area to Assess Journal Quality

• Indexing in Major Databases
• Total Journal Circulations
• Practices and Activities of the Publishers
• Prestige and Reputation of the Journal
• Editorial Board/Indepth Knowledge of Field
• Peer-Review Process
• Acceptance and Rejection Rate
• Impact Factor/Citation Analysis

Where a journal is indexed may give a clue as to its quality.  CUFTS Journal Title Search provides information for where journal titles are indexed.

Total circulations of a journal can be used to assess the quality of a journal. High readership and circulation could be markers of a journal's quality and/or popularity. This information may possibly be found in two different ways:

• Circulation numbers can be often be found at the journal publisher's website.
• Use WorldCat to discover how many libraries subscribe to a journal title.

When evaluating the practices and activites of the publisher, consider the following factors:

• How do the publishers use Direct Marketing?

  • Is it appropriate and unobtrusive?

• Criteria for Publisher's Website

  • Contact information clearly visible

  • Process and policies of the journal outlined

  • Fees or charges related to publishing in the journal are clearly stated and visible

  • Instructions to the author

• Do the publishers adhere to a Code of Ethics?

Consider the following when evaluating the prestige and reputation of the journal:

• Organization, society, or association behind the journal

  • Know the major associations behind the field of study

  • Examine the institutions of the editorial board

  • Ask your established colleagues

• Predatory Open-Access Journals

  • Journals that publish for money without care of the scholarship

Resources for finding Impact Factor and Citation Analysis

Evaulating the Journal's Peer-Review Process

• The peer-review process for a journal should be stated clearly and found in the journal and/or publisher’s website.

Evaluating the Editorial Board:

• Members are to be recognized experts in the fields that constitute the scope of the journal.

• Journal website should provide Information for board members’ affiliations.

• A quick Google search of the board members will provide information of their standing in the field.

Discovering the Acceptance and Rejection Rate:

• May be found on the journal’s website.