1 research outputs found
Toward alternative metrics of journal impact: A comparison of download and citation data
We generated networks of journal relationships from citation and download
data, and determined journal impact rankings from these networks using a set of
social network centrality metrics. The resulting journal impact rankings were
compared to the ISI IF. Results indicate that, although social network metrics
and ISI IF rankings deviate moderately for citation-based journal networks,
they differ considerably for journal networks derived from download data. We
believe the results represent a unique aspect of general journal impact that is
not captured by the ISI IF. These results furthermore raise questions regarding
the validity of the ISI IF as the sole assessment of journal impact, and
suggest the possibility of devising impact metrics based on usage information
in general.Comment: 34 pages, submitted to Information Processing and Management, special
issue on Informetric